The Malda district administration today organised a meeting here with an aim to stop illegal poppy cultivation in Kaliachak and Baishnabnagar areas in the district.
Higher officials of the district including the District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police, officials of excise department, narcotics department, BDOs and police officers attended the meeting.
"Our target is 'Mission Zero Poppy'. We are gradually approaching towards the target and awareness has been created," Arnab Ghosh, SP Malda, said.
"According to a latest report, there has been no rampant poppy cultivation in these two areas. We are keeping a close watch since people still have scope to cultivate poppy in the next 40 days," the SP said adding, drones were being used for surveillance.
Police officials said cases have been filed against more than 6,000 people for cultivating poppy illegally, resulting in 99 per cent decrease in illegal poppy cultivation in Kaliachak and Baishnabnagar.
A section of police officers, however, suspected that illegal poppy cultivation could shift from these places to Harishchandrapur Block 2.
"We are encouraging people to cultivate spices, litchi and capsicum instead of illegally cultivating poppy," Rahul Chakraborty, Assistant Director of Horticulture department in Malda said.
He said 50 percent subsidy was being offered to people showing interest in cultivating flowers.
Rajkumar Sau, an intelligence officer of NCB, Kolkata area said illegal poppy cultivation has mostly stopped in 2016, compared to what happened in 2015.
Poppy cultivated across 11,450 hectares of land were destroyed in 2015 and this year no such cultivation took place in these areas," BSF Deputy Commandant Anil Kumar Vats said.
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