50 acres of illegal poppy cultivation destroyed in Manipur’s Ukhrul

Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said 50 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in a village in Ukhrul district were destroyed.

Four huts, which were found on the poppy fields in Mullam Kuki village, were also burnt down, and an investigation has been initiated to identify the culprits involved in the illegal plantation, he said.

"Our dedicated forces, comprising Ukhrul district police, 6th Manipur Rifles, Army, and the Forest Department, successfully carried out an operation to destroy the illegal poppy cultivation in Mullam Kuki village hill range under the Litan Police Station (limits). A total of 50 acres of poppy plantations were destroyed, and four illicit huts were set ablaze," Singh posted on X on Monday.

An FIR has been registered, and the investigation is progressing, he said.

Singh also said, "I commend the combined efforts of the team for their dedication to the ongoing war on drugs. Let us stand united in this fight to reclaim our hills, our values, and our dignity. Together, we will build a Manipur free from the shadow of drugs." Notably, around 70 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in three villages in Ukhrul district were destroyed on December 16 last year.

The Manipur Police and the forest department had also destroyed around 55 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in the hill range of Shihai Khullen in the same district last month.

Notably, the Manipur government had destroyed a total of 19,135.6 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in at least 12 districts since 2017, according to an official report.

In Kangpokpi district, the highest of 4,454.4 acres were destroyed during the period, followed by 3,348 acres in Ukhrul and 2,713.8 acres in Churachandpur, the study – Mapping and Estimation of Opium Poppy Cultivation Area using Remote Sensing and GIS Technology – revealed.