Final poppy survey conducted with drone
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, March 25 2023:
A final drone survey carried out since Friday jointly by Senapati district administration.
Forest Department and Senapati district police, to check and destroy any poppy plantations in Sorbung, Ngatan and Khamsong areas of Senapati district concluded on Saturday.
Around 10 makeshift huts, suspected to be used by poppy cultivators for planting poppies, were also burned to the ground during the operation.
The poppy survey cum destruction team, led by Senapati SDO Lunguiba Thangal and Mao SDPO Timothy Maram, first arrived in Sorbung village.
A drone was used to inspect for any new poppy cultivation in a previous plantation site, which was scythed by Senapati PS and locals, but no new poppy plantations were found.
The team then went to Khamsong area, where an earlier drone survey done on March 18 showed signs of poppies growing the area.
However, except for some areas wherein the poppies either had been scythed or harvested by the locals, and areas with growing mustard plants, no new poppy plantations could be found.
Police, however, set fire to 10 makeshift huts suspected to have been used by poppy cultivators.
The team then proceeded to Ngatan village and the drone was used to survey various areas of the village, and visited the suspected areas.
However, no new or ready-to-harvest poppy plantations were found in Ngatan village.
Mention may be made here that on March 18, a team led by Senapati PS OC Victor arrested one Nepali named Santosh Kami from Ngatan for planting poppies.
He was produced before Senapati District Court on Friday, which then sent him to jail.