Unable to dissuade villagers from poppy cultivation is south Kashmir, police have now approached imams of local mosques to help in eradicating the menace. Poppy and bhang were being cultivated by the villagers in Anantnag district to earn easy money. In the past, the police and narcotics department had launched drives against the poppy cultivators. Now, imams and religious preachers of 20 villages have been roped in for the drive. Imams will educate people on how poppy cultivation ruins youth, who become easy targets to drug peddlers. “A major drive against the cultivation of bhang and opium has been launched by the police,” SSP Anantnag, Abdul Gani Mir said. Police have started a campaign against the cultivation and use of drugs in the areas of Anantnag district notorious for cultivation of banned crop.The villagers are being properly educated by imams and numberdars about the NDPS Act on poppy cultivation to stop villagers, said Mir. Moreover, announcements were being made by vehicles fitted with pubic address system that strict action will be taken against the people indulging in such trade, he added. Besides educating the youth about the menace of drugs, hundreds of drug addicts have also been provided free treatment in these camps.
