30 acres of poppy fields razed to ground in Manipur

Imphal: In a recent drug eradication campaign, authorities razed lakhs of poppy plants ready for a bumper harvest, potentially yielding around 150 kilograms of raw opium worth Rs 1,95,000 in the clandestine regional drug trade.

Under the direction of Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a joint team of around 80 personnel from the Manipur Police, CRPF, and Forest Division Kangpokpi district carried out the operation in the presence of an Executive Magistrate.

The operation took place around Puleijang village under the Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Friday.

Over the course of seven hours, the team destroyed 30 acres of poppy fields.

Authorities chopped down the standing poppy plants, estimated to produce around 150 kilograms of opium, under tight security.

The farm owner and illicit cultivators remain at large, but the police have registered a case.

The destruction followed the earlier eradication of 50 acres of illegal poppy plantations along the riverbanks of Ethoi in Kangpokpi district on Thursday.