Similar raids in Shopian, Kulgam Distts
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: Excise Commissioner, J&K today led the team including officials from Revenue and Police to conduct raids and destroy massive poppy crop in Bijbehara area of district Anatnag today.
Official sources said that acting on the basis of some specific inputs the Excise sleuths, with the assistance of police and Executive Magistrate Ist Class concerned, carried out operation to destroy poppy crop at village Dupatyar falling in Tehsil Bijbehara of district Anantnag.
Though initially there was some resistance from the villagers but later they cooperated with the government officials and allowed to carry out operation smoothly. The Poppy destruction special drive was personally supervised on the spot by the Excise Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma along with Tazayun Mukhtar, Dy Excise Commissioner (Executive) Kashmir, ETO South Kashmir Range (Anantnag-Pulwama-Shopian-Kulgam) Hamid Ganaie, Tehsildar Bijbehara GR Bhat, ETO Central Kashmir Shamsuduha and ETO North Kashmir Showket Bahar.
The men and machinery of Excise department was in place and destruction drive was carried out in presence of Executive Magistrate/Revenue officer. Around 3 Kanals and 10 Marlas of illicit cultivation in discrete patches was destroyed on spot at this village.
Excise Commissioner said that Excise Department along with other Law Enforcement agencies have destroyed as many as 982 Kanals and 16 marlas of Poppy Cultivation in Kashmir valley so far since April 2023 to till date 721 Kanals and 2 Marlas of Poppy cultivation has been destroyed alone in four districts of South Kashmir (Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam) against which 18 FIR stands registered during this period.
The Commissioner further said that Excise department along with other Law Enforcement agencies are working at fore front in combating/containing the menace of illicit cultivation of poppy and cannabis at ground level. The Excise Commissioner also asked all the officers to take up this fight against narcotic crops to its logical conclusion. He further stated that the Excise department is actively involved in awareness programs at large scale and has organized many drug awareness programs at colleges, schools, blocks and village level. The department has also involved religious scholars particularly Imams and Khateebs during the Friday prayers for sending messages to the public against the harmful effects of illicit drugs and cultivation of poppy and cannabis.
He said more Poppy destruction operations are simultaneously being carried out in villages Durhama, K.B Pora, Chcha Muhalla of district Kulgam and in village Sugan of district Shopian, respectively where more than 30 kanals of illicit Poppy cultivation was destroyed jointly by Excise, Revenue authorities along with other stake holders.
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