Saner elements worried over future of youth
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 9: As cultivation of opium and charas on thousands kanals of Agriculture land in South Kashmir is worrying the saner elements of Valley, the divisional administration in Valley is contemplating action against the farmers cultivating the opium, for commercial purposes which is banned under law of the land.
According to highly placed official sources, the Government is contemplating to take punitive action against the cultivators of opium or charas in South Kashmir including the destruction of standing crop in the fields. The authorities have also sought the detailed reports from the officials at district level regarding the cultivation of the poppy straw area wise in all the districts of South Kashmir, sources added.
Sources said that administration is in know of it that the poppy straw is being cultivated along the banks of river Jhelum in various areas of Pulwama and Anantnag districts. So far its cultivation for medicinal purposes or home use is concerned this is allowed at a low scale but as it has taken alarming situation and the crop is being cultivated for commercial purposes and smuggled out of the Valley, the administration has started tightening its noose against such cultivators and punitive action will be taken against them.
A top Government official in the State administration said that administration will not allow to continue this menace as it is going to spoil the society as a whole and action will be taken against the accused. He, however, said that charas is a wild herb which grows naturally and it comes under Forest Act. But in case it is found that charas is also grown in agriculture or horticulture land for commercial purposes, the cultivators will not be spared, the official added.
According to reliable sources four districts of South Kashmir i.e. Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam have become hub for cultivation of charas and opium in the fertile land which otherwise was used for the cultivation of paddy, vegetables and growing of fruits. But for last over four decades, the farmers in South Kashmir have converted their agriculture land in cultivation of both opium and charas to earn handsome income, sources added.
However, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, P K Pole when contacted said that administration will not allow the cultivation of opium for the commercial purposes to spoil the society and action will be taken under law against those involved in cultivation of the crop for commercial purposes.
Sources said failure of successive Governments since eighties to take punitive action against the producers of both opium and charas which are banned under the law of the land has emboldened the people towards its cultivation and by and by more and more people in various other areas turned towards cultivation of these banned crops.
Sources said today position in four districts of South Kashmir is such that out of its 16 Assembly segments, eight are fully cultivating these banned crops while two constituencies of Kulgam and Anantnag districts are partially involved in cultivation of charas and Opium. The cultivation of banned crops has become so common in these districts that charas which often grows naturally as a wild herb is being cultivated by the farmers in their agriculture land which otherwise was used for growing of paddy, maize and vegetables. Even the charas is grown in apple orchards in some parts of the South Kashmir also, sources added.
They said to have a good yield the charas plants are being nurtured by the growers and also irrigated from time to time to have a good yield. Later, the crop is harvested and charas extracted from it by rubbing the plant to be smuggled outside the Valley.
The opium is grown from poppy seeds and it is cultivated in Pulwama and parts of Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian districts. After the opium plant grows it bears a beautiful flower from which later a green walnut type capsule develops containing the sap. The growers cut the capsule and opium is developed from the extract of this which is later smuggled out of Valley on exorbitant rates, sources added.
Later, the plant including its roots and leaves are dried and buried in the ditches under the ground. This is then dug out from the ground and grinded to turn into bookie which is also smuggled outside the State, sources said, adding even some youth in Valley have fallen the addicts to the drugs which has also been a cause of concern for the families. However, mainly both charas, opium and bhuki are smuggled outside the Valley to the States of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, sources added.
Sources said even the militancy in South Kashmir is thriving on this money and the main reason for stone pelting on security forces during the search operations especially in South Kashmir has been the reason of cultivation of charas and opium as the growers don’t want that police or security forces should enter their localities and take action against them or destroy the crop.
Sources said some years back in Pulwama, a BJP leader was killed by militants only two days after he took voluntary action and destroyed the charas which was cultivated in some parts of his locality. This has also been a cause that the people who are against the cultivation of these banned crops can’t raise their voice against the cultivation.
Sources said the Assembly segments in four districts of South Kashmir which are cultivating charas and opium in large numbers included Homeshalibugh, Kulgam, Shopian, Wachhi, Rajpora, Bijbehara,Tral and Pampore while some areas in Noorabad and Devsar Assembly segments of Kulgam district also grow the crop. Even some parts in Dooru Constituency in Anantnag district are also cultivating the banned crop, sources added.
Sources said silence maintained by political parties over the decades against the cultivation of the banned crops has pointed a needle of suspicion over them also. These parties are often coming out with statements whenever they find that any thing wrong has been done to harm the interests of people in the Valley but no political party whether in Government or in opposition considered it their moral duty to launch a crusade against the cultivation of the banned crop in Valley which is going to spoil the millions of people across the country and is eating up the vitals of the society also.
Sources said soon the terrorism gripped the Valley the separatists banned sale of liquor and running of cinema halls in Kashmir and for last over three decades the liquor shops and cinema halls are not being allowed to open in the Valley. However, no separatist organization questioned the cultivation of the opium or charas which was grown in four out of 10 districts of Kashmir, the reasons for the same are obvious, sources added.
But the saner elements in Kashmir are worried against the growing cultivation of the banned crops in the Valley which they said is now spreading to some parts of Budgam district bordering Pulwama in Central Kashmir also and they also hold the administration and successive Governments responsible for their failure to act against the growers.
They said that the Government could have taken the steps to rid the people from growing the banned crop by encouraging the farmers to cultivate the medicinal plants and herbs which otherwise grow naturally in Valley of Kashmir.
They also feared that in case the action is not taken against the cultivation of the banned crops the day will not be far away when Kashmir will replace Afghanistan in the production and smuggling of drugs.
However, the district administration Pulwama has recently warned the people cultivating the opium in their agriculture land and asked them to destroy the same voluntarily failing which the administration will destroy it forcibly.
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