SRINAGAR: Excise department J&K along with Revenue and Police authorities carried out the Poppy destruction drive at village Dupatyar falling in tehsil Bijbehara of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The Poppy destruction drive was carried out under the overall supervision of Excise Commissioner J & K, Pankaj Kumar Sharma in the presence of Tazayun Mukhtar Dy Excise Commissioner (Executive) Kashmir and assisted by ETO South Kashmir Range (Anantnag-Pulwama-Shopian-Kulgam) Hamid Ganaie, Tehsildar Bijbehara G.R Bhat, ETO central Kashmir Shamsuduha, ETO North Kashmir Showket Bahar and other Officials of Excise, Revenue and Police.
Men and machinery of the Excise department were in place and the destruction drive was carried out in the presence of the Executive Magistrate/Revenue Officer. Around 3 Kanals & 10 Marlas of illicit Cultivationin discrete Patches were destroyed on the spot.
Speaking with the media persons, Excise Commissioner J&K, Pankaj Kumar Sharma 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 date 721 Kanals and 2 Marlas of Poppy cultivation has been destroyed alone in four districts of South Kashmir viz; Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam against which 18 FIR stands registered during this period.
The Excise Commissioner said that the Excise department along with other Law Enforcement agencies is working at forefront in combating /Containing the menace of illicit cultivation of poppy and cannabis at the ground level.
The Excise Commissioner also awoed to take the struggle against narcotic crops to its logical conclusion. “The Excise department is actively involved in awareness programs at large scale and has organized many drug awareness programs at college, school, block, village level, involved religious scholars particularly imams and khateebs during the Friday prayers,” the officer said adding that the people of the vicinity hailed the efforts of Excise department, revenue authorities, Police Officials and media fraternity during the Poppy eradication drive.
The Commissioner further said we will keep the momentum of such drives at full pace. Moreover, the Poppy destruction was simultaneously being carried out in villages Durhama, K.B pora Chcha mohalla of district Kulgam and in village sugan of district Shopian respectively where more than thirty kanals of illicit Poppy cultivation was destroyed jointly by excise, revenue authorities along with other stakeholders. (KDC)
