Jharkhand authorities have destroyed poppy crops covering 19,086 acres of land in different districts and have arrested 190 persons involved with illegal farming activity over the last two months, an official told PTI on Saturday.
It is part of an effort that started last January to stem the illicit production of opium, a chief component in narcotics. The area of destroyed poppy crops is four times that in the past years, according to the data presented before Jharkhand Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari on Friday.
They have registered 283 cases so far and are still toying with them. A release in which the districts most affected by illegal poppy cultivation include Chatra, Khunti, Latehar, Ranchi, Palamu, Chaibasa, Saraikela, and Hazaribagh.
Khunti and Ranchi were the highest among these districts, which recorded the destruction of poppy crops from 10520 acres and 4624 acres, respectively. In contrast, Palamu registered the least destruction as illegal poppy cultivation was cleared from 396 acres only.
Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari has asked the officials to bring 100 per cent eradication of poppy cultivation and to run the anti-poppy campaign till March 15 after it came to know about growing concern over illegal poppy farming.
Jharkhand has said much of its large-scale crackdown on drugs is to counter drug-related crimes and disrupt the illegal narcotics trade. Authorities are determined to bring an end to the widespread cultivation of poppy in the state, with further action planned in the coming weeks.
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