Jharkhand has taken strong action against illegal poppy farming, destroying crops on about 19,000 acres of land and arresting 190 people over the past two months, an official said on Saturday.
The large-scale crackdown has been ongoing across the state since January. According to data presented to Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari on Friday, authorities have removed illegal poppy crops from 19,086 acres—four times more than in previous years.
So far, 283 cases have been registered, and 190 people have been arrested for their involvement in poppy cultivation.
The districts most affected by this farming include Chatra, Khunti, Latehar, Ranchi, Palamu, Chaibasa, Saraikela, and Hazaribagh. Among them, Khunti saw the largest area cleared, with 10,520 acres of poppy crops destroyed, followed by Ranchi with 4,624 acres. Palamu had the least, with 396 acres affected.
Chief Secretary Tiwari has instructed officials to ensure the complete destruction of all illegal poppy crops and to continue the operation until March 15.
During a review meeting on Friday, she emphasised the importance of finishing the task and making more arrests. She noted that while progress has been made, the number of arrests is still lower than the number of cases. She urged officials to take strict action to bring those involved to justice.
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