War on Drugs via satellite mapping in Manipur

Last Updated on February 17, 2023 by SPN Editor

Satellite mapping in Manipur, including ground survey to detect poppy cultivation is almost completed and appealed to the public to cooperate with police while rooting out poppy cultivation under War on Drugs, Superintendent of police, Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) K Meghachandra on Tuesday informed the media.

Meghachandra also added that with the help of Advance Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN) under ISRO, NAB with satellite mapping in Manipur and ground survey has identified almost all the suspected area for poppy cultivation having past records in most of the districts of Manipur.

Immediate action will be taken during the survey if NAB detected any sign of poppy cultivation, he added.
He said NAB has identified most of the poppy cultivated villages and has summoned the village chief.

In another breakthrough, Sangaikot Police Station has summoned chief of S Gelbung village Ngamthang Haokip to appear before the police station on September 1 at 11 am with regard to poppy plantation in the village.

The summon was served to the village chief after a technical survey based on drone/MARSAC mapping carried in Sangaikot Sub-Division area detected the village to be involved in illegal poppy cultivation.

It cautioned that legal action will be initiated against the village chief in case he fails to turn up at the police station.

Meanwhile fresh forest area of 35 acres was found cleared and poppy seeds hidden a hut were burnt and destroyed by security forces during a survey conducted at Mapithel forest in Ukhrul district on Tuesday.

A team of personnel of the Ukhrul Police and the Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) conducted the survey at Mapithel forest in Ukhrul district to prevent poppy cultivation as a part of War on Drugs 2.0.

During the survey, the team found 35 acres of fresh jungle cleared. The team suspected the field was kept ready for poppy cultivation. However, no cultivators were found during the survey.

“As a precautionary measure to prevent poppy plantations, Ukhrul Police & NAB has conducted a survey at Mapithel. During the survey it was observed that about 35 acres of fresh jungle have been cleared which is suspected to be kept ready for poppy cultivation,” N Biren tweeted on Tuesday.

Congratulating the Ukhrul SP and NAB team, the chief minister said the team destroyed 150 bags of salt, 70 bags of diamond fertilizers, 20 bags of urea and 7 bags of poppy seeds, which were found hidden inside a hut.

“It was also discovered that around 150 bags of salt, 70 bags of diamond fertilizers, 20 bags of urea and 7 bags of poppy seeds were found hidden inside a hut. The same has been destroyed and burned. During the survey no cultivators were found,” the chief minister tweeted.

He further said under section 47 ND and PS Act, any person will be taken as connivance and strict action will be taken against those who hide information of poppy cultivation intentionally from the concerned officials. And under section 28 of ND and PS Act, preparation of poppy cultivation will be taken as commission of the crime and will be taken action under the said Act, the NAB SP informed.

He appealed to the general public to cooperate with NAB to stop poppy cultivation and come forward to take the opportunity initiated by the state government as an alternative to poppy cultivation.

Meghachandra said under War on Drugs 2.0 the number of bailouts in connection with drug-related cases has been drastically decreasing while case disposal has been increasing.