Poppy cultivation spread over 30 kanals destroyed in Kulgam

Kulgam, June 02: Authorities in Devsar tehsil of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district have destroyed poppy cultivation spread over 30 kanals of land, aiming for zero cultivation of banned crops.
An official said that the destruction of banned poppy cultivation is being carried out collaboratively by revenue, excise, and police teams.
Rakib Ahmad, Tehsildar Devsar, told Rising Kashmir that the incidence of poppy cultivation was not very high this year.
He said that earlier awareness campaigns through mosques and respectable citizens led to the destruction of most poppy fields at an early stage by the people themselves.
He added that the remaining fields are being cleared through collective drives, resulting in the destruction of around 30 kanals in Devsar Tehsil so far.
“The aim is zero cultivation of banned crops such as poppy and cannabis. The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kulgam is personally supervising and monitoring the efforts through the NCORD mechanism,” he added.
He further said that such drives will continue, urging people to refrain from cultivating banned crops.
Notably, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 prohibits a person from the production/manufacturing/cultivation, possession, sale, purchasing, transport, storage, and/or consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.