Villagers take lead in destroying poppy plantations

    03-Feb-2023
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Correspondent/OSR
SPT/IMP, Feb 2: Around  25 acres of poppy plantation was destroyed on Thursday in the Tumnoupokpi area.
As soon as it came to their knowledge that poppy is being cultivated in the village (Tumnoupokpi) land, the villagers informed the DC and the SP Kangpokpi.
With full and active support of the district administration, Kangpokpi, Tumnoupokpi Village Authority and volunteers of Thangal Students’ Union (TAJ) carried out a poppy destruction drive for the third time  on Thursday, covering an area of  about 25 acres.
 The first destruction drive was carried out on January 19 covering an area of 6 acres approximately and the second drive was taken up on January 28 over an area of 10 acres approximately.
It is said that the poppy cultivators are residents of other unknown villages who have not only encroached the hill areas of Tum-noupokpi Village but gone to the extent of planting poppy there.
In a statement, the Tum-noupokpi Village Authority vehemently condemned such acts of encroachment and plantation of poppy in their forest land.
The village authority also appealed to all poppy cultivators to stop such illegal acts.
It also appealed to the authority concerned to conduct a thorough enquiry and apprehend the cultivators and punish them as per law of the land.
S Johnson, chief of Tumnoupokpi also mentioned that the village will be glad to receive any form of assistance from the Government to enable them take up re-afforestation activities or aid for cultivation of alternative crops in the affected land.
Seikhomang Khongsai, DSP Saparmeina police station stated that the destruction was carried out in the presence of Kangpokpi district police, Forest Department and NAB under the supervision of Kangpokpi SP, apart from village volunteers and Thangal Students Union (TAJ) for a length of around 25-30 acres.