Assam Rifles, police destroy illegal poppy farming areas in Manipur

The Assam Rifles and the Manipur Police separately destroyed huge illegal poppy farming areas in Chandel and Ukhrul Districts, officials said on Sunday. 

An Assam Rifles spokesperson said that, in a decisive effort to combat illegal activities, the para-military force, in collaboration with the villagers of Saibol Joupi, TM Dingpi, and T Bollon, successfully cleared approximately two square kilometres of illegal poppy cultivation in Chandel district.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to promote community health and societal well-being, he said.

The official said that the operation follows extensive awareness programs conducted by the Assam Rifles, aimed at educating local communities about the detrimental effects of poppy cultivation.

These initiatives inspired villagers to take a proactive stance against illegal farming, demonstrating their commitment to fostering a safer and healthier environment.

“This collaboration exemplifies the united resolve of both security forces and local communities in addressing the challenges posed by illegal cultivation,” stated the spokesperson.

He said that the operation not only disrupted the supply chain associated with illicit activities but also paved the way for a more peaceful and progressive future for the region.

The Assam Rifles expressed appreciation for the active involvement of the villagers, highlighting the growing cooperation between communities and security forces in ensuring development and stability in northeast India.

Manipur Police also in a separate operation destroyed 30 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in the Khamason range of Ukhrul District and arrested four persons.

Appreciating the police action, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in his post on the X on Sunday said: “Kudos to the Manipur Police for their unwavering dedication to the “War on Drugs” campaign. On the night of December 6, Manipur Police achieved a significant milestone in the fight against drug menace by apprehending four individuals involved in poppy cultivation spanning approximately 30 acres in the Khamason range, Ukhrul District.”

The Chief Minister said that the state government remains steadfast in its mission to eradicate the drug menace from Manipur.

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.

The report said that 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 a number of occasions said that the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur (since May last year) is a creation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar adding that these migrants after illegally settling in the state started the cultivation of illicit poppies.

The Chief Minister’s ‘War on Drugs’ has strongly hit the illegal immigrants’ illegal activities, a government statement has said.

According to the statement, since 1969, there has been an increase in the number of villages in the districts of Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal, Chandel, Churachandpur and Pherzawl by 893, from 731 to 1,624.

“Abnormal 122 per cent increase in mushrooming of villages, many of which are in forest areas, in the five hill districts, which are Kuki people dominated, or which have a sizeable Kuki population,” the government statement said.

In the remaining hill districts of Tamenglong, Noney, Senapati, Ukhrul and Kamjong, which are Naga-dominated, the increase during the same period is a figure of merely 49, up from 527 to 576, a mere 9 per cent increase.