Over 19,000 acres of poppy cultivation destroyed in Jharkhand, 190 held in 2 months

Ranchi: Illegal poppy cultivation on around 19,000 acres of land was destroyed in Jharkhand and 190 people linked to this farming activity were arrested in the past two months, an official said on Saturday.

A massive operation has been underway against illicit poppy cultivation across the state since January.

According to data presented before the chief secretary on Friday, illegal poppy cultivation was destroyed on 19,086 acres of land in the state, which is four times higher than in previous years.

As many as 283 cases were registered and 190 people have so far been arrested in connection with illicit poppy cultivation, an official statement said.

Chatra, Khunti, Latehar, Ranchi, Palamu, Chaibasa, Saraikela and Hazaribagh districts are affected by poppy cultivation, it stated.

The poppy crop on 10,520 acres of land in Khunti was destroyed, followed by 4,624 acres in Ranchi, the statement said.

Around 396 acres of poppy crop were destroyed in Palamu, the lowest among the districts, it said.

Jharkhand Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari asked officials concerned to ensure 100 per cent destruction of poppy cultivation and carry on the operation till March 15.

Tiwari was reviewing the progress of the operation against the illegal farming activity on Friday.

"The operation against poppy cultivation is showing positive results, but 100 per cent destruction of the poppy crop should be ensured," she told the officials.

Pointing out a lower number of arrests than the count of cases, she asked officials to focus on making more arrests and ensuring punishment.