Imphal: A joint team of central and state security forces on Wednesday destroyed 53 acres of illegal poppy cultivation, valued at around Rs 1 crore in the illicit drug trade, in the remote hill ranges of Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, police said on Thursday.
The joint team, comprising personnel from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, CRPF and the Forest Department, carried out the operation on hill slopes in Moljol, Tusam, Vaichei–Naphai and adjoining areas of Kangpokpi district.
Police said seven huts, 11 bags of fertilisers, 23 bottles of Roundup herbicide, 14 bags of salt and cultivation equipment, including spray pumps, pipes and herbicides, were destroyed and burnt as part of the drive against fully grown poppy crops.
The Kangpokpi District Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF), assisted by drone-based aerial reconnaissance, led the operation and said similar drives would continue to eliminate illicit poppy cultivation. Authorities reiterated their resolve to sustain intensive anti-poppy operations across the district.
Police said a case has been registered in connection with the operation, but no arrests have been made so far.
The drive was carried out for the first time after several civil society organisations (CSOs) in Sadar Hills, Kangpokpi district, resolved to completely halt poppy cultivation across the district with effect from the New Year 2026.
The resolution was adopted at a meeting held on December 5 in Kangpokpi, which was attended by a broad cross-section of civil society groups, including the Sadar Hills Chiefs’ Association, Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills, and various tribal organisations, student bodies, women’s organisations, youth clubs and other community groups operating in the district.