Guwahati, Feb 02, 2025, IANS

Guwahati/Imphal, Feb 2 (IANS) After Manipur Police, Assam Police also destroyed 170 Bighas (over 56 acres) of poppy cultivation in the Char areas of Goalpara district, officials said on Sunday. According to an Assam government official, illegal poppy cultivation worth Rs 27.20 crore was destroyed in the Char areas (the riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra) during the past two days. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarrma and his Manipur counterpart appreciated the destruction of illegal poppy farming. Sarma said in a post on the X: “Dear Local Pablo Escobars, Sorry to spoil your planned Udta Assam party! Because Goalpara Police destroyed 170 Bighas of poppy cultivation in the Char areas worth Rs 27.20 crore in January. So next time you think of drugs, think of Assam Police first.” Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh said in a post on X: “My deep appreciation for the decisive measures taken in Assam, under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Himanta Biswa Sarrma ji, in addressing the challenges posed by the cultivation of poppy.” “We stand together and remain resolute in our shared goal of building a future where every youth of the NE is protected, nurtured, and given the opportunity to thrive free from the shadow of drugs,” Singh said. Manipur Police along with paramilitary and other security forces have regularly been destroying illegal poppy cultivation, mostly in the hilly areas. Meanwhile, according to a government report, various law enforcement agencies, including Manipur Police, have destroyed 19,135.60 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in the state’s 12 districts between 2017 and 2024. The report, prepared by Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MARSAC), in the mountainous Kangpokpi district, the highest areas of 4,454.4 acres of illegal poppy cultivation were destroyed in the last seven years (2017-2024), followed by 3,348 acres in Ukhrul and 2,713.8 acres in Churachandpur. The MARSAC is an autonomous government institution under the Planning Department of the Manipur government. Deforestation, due to mass poppy cultivation, resulted in several adverse impacts on the ecosystem, including soil erosion, a loss of biodiversity, and changes in the local climate, the report said. The Manipur government on several occasions said that the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur (since May 2023) is a creation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar adding that these migrants after illegally settling in the state started the cultivation of illicit poppies.