Biren hits against Poppy cultivation in Manipur

Imphal: Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh has instructed state police chief to inform all the village chief for organising an awareness programme to avoid poppy plantation.

Village chiefs and others involved will be booked, Biren said.

“My last warning to all the barbaric human beings involved in poppy plantations and drugs. Please see how inhumanly they have destroyed our nature for their greed. Visuals from Selsi Village and surrounding areas.” Biren writes on his Facebook wall showing destroyed forest in hills.

A collective effort is needed to uproot drugs from Manipur, he said.

In the last few years most of the poppy cultivation has been stopped. However, some information has been received that in some parts of the hill districts some groups of people are utilizing some hill areas under lease by threatening the village chiefs, he added.

As it is confidential the government will not disclose the particular area where poppy plantation is still continuing until the government cracks it down, the chief minister said. A meeting was held with DGP to take necessary steps in those areas, he added.

The chief minister was addressing a group of reporters at his official residence on Friday.

He released yearly wall calendar and dairy of 2023 on Friday. The calendar was published by Directorate of Information and Public Relation with a wish for a peaceful, harmony and prospered society free from bandh, blockade and any sorts of ill fated expedition.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said by the end of January next year the government will be inaugurating over 100 government’s welfare schemes.

With the coming of the Chirstmas festival, one of the grand festival for the Christians, he also wished for a prosperous and peaceful Manipur. He sought the blessing of the Almighty to give the will power to uphold and strengthen the bonds and unity among all the ethnic communities of Manipur.