Tirap district administration, Narcotics Control Bureau along with police, army and para military forces destroyed 191 acres of illegal poppy (opium) plantations in Lazu circle of the district recently. The poppy plantations in Lazu, Sanliam, Pongkong, Sinnu, Lonyan, Noglo, Lower Chinhan, Upper Chinhan (Horu Chinhan) villages were destroyed by teams constituted by Tirap Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ravi Jha from February 14 to 18, an official report said in Itanagar on Wednesday. Prior to carrying out the drive, the DC briefed the teams that destroying illicit poppy cultivation was very important to make the drugs growers chooses alternative crop cultivation. Informing that poppy cultivation is prohibited under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, the DC urged the people of Lazu to go for alternative cash crops like large cardamom, large ginger and large chilly for which Agriculture and Horticulture department have been extending support through various schemes. A few people have started cardamom cultivation in some pockets of Lazu circle which was witnessed during the operation, the team members informed the deputy commissioner.
