SECC attributes Govt's weak eradication policy for rise in poppy cultivation
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 09 2022:
The Safe Environment Campaign Committee has asserted that the main factor responsible for the rise in poppy cultivation in the State is the weak eradication policy of the Government without follow up legal action to prosecute the offenders involved in this illicit practice.
In a statement, SECC has shared that this was according to a survey conducted by a team of SECC which spanned over several months in 2020 and 2021 in some hill districts where poppy farms are concentrated.
As such, SECC has appealed to the State Government to carry out "War on Drugs 2.0" with an iron hand under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 .
It may be mentioned that the statement has also attributed the unprecedented forest cover loss in Manipur in the last five years to rampant deforestation across the hill districts of Manipur for illicit poppy cultivation, among other factors.
The statement has also cited a 'reliable report' which indicates that illicit poppy cultivation in Manipur could have spread over 10,000 acres of forest land across its hill districts.