HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Feb 21: A massive illegal poppy cultivation worth ₹500 crore has been destroyed in various districts of Arunachal Pradesh over the past two months, according to officials from the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN).
Officials stated that a large-scale operation against illegal poppy cultivation was led by the CBN, in collaboration with various security forces and the state government. The drive also uncovered the links between narcotics trafficking and terrorism in Arunachal Pradesh.
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The operation, which targeted districts like Lohit, Namsai, and Changlang, resulted in the destruction of poppy fields spread across over 6,000 hectares of land.
“The value of the destroyed poppy cultivation is approximately ₹500 crore, which is a huge figure. What is even more shocking is that the teams involved in the destruction work received threat calls from militant groups like NSCN (K-YA) and Ulfa (Independent), warning them to leave or face violence,” the officials added.
Meanwhile, according to the Assam Rifles, over 180 hectares of illegal poppy cultivation, worth ₹30 crore, have been identified, with 22.5 hectares destroyed to date.
“The Assam Rifles, along with the Central Bureau of Narcotics, CRPF, and Arunachal Police, are conducting large-scale Anti-Opium Drive in Namsai District, South Arunachal Pradesh. Over 180 hectares of illegal poppy cultivation worth ₹30 crore have been identified and 22.5 hectares have been destroyed so far, leading to a disruption in insurgent funding,” the Assam Rifles stated on the microblogging site X.
Due to inclement weather and other factors, the CBN was able to destroy only about 50 to 60 percent of the targeted area.
The officials stressed that it is now up to the government and concerned agencies to formulate and implement a robust policy to eliminate the menace at its roots.
