Four lakh Opium Poppy plants which were planted on four hectares of forest land in Manipur’s Noney district were destroyed by a joint team of Assam Rifles, state police and the forest department on Tuesday.
Srikona Battalion of 21 Sector Assam Rifles, under the aegis of Headquarter Inspector General Assam Rifles(East), destroyed large-scale cultivation of Poppy plants at T.Khongmol village Hill Range in Nungba Sub Division of Noney on Monday. As per a statement from Assam Rifles, a joint Operation was launched by its Srikona Battalion along with Manipur police from Nungba Police Station and Noney Forest Department officials.
Illegal poppy cultivation has become one of the major causes of concern for officials in Manipur. According to official sources, 14,315 acres of illicit poppy, cultivated mostly in the hill districts of Manipur, were destroyed by security forces in the previous term of the present government.
Concerned by the trend of the large-scale illegal poppy plantations, the Manipur government had, earlier this year, launched the ‘War on Drugs’ campaign. The alternative farming system will benefit ‘jhumias’ or poppy planters of nine districts, namely Churachandpur, Pherzawl, Noney, Tamenglong, Senapati, Kangpokpi, Ukhrul, Kamjong, Tengnoupal and Chandel.