Anantnag and Pulwama in south Kashmir have attained a dubious identity of being one of the producers of poppy and fuci in the country.
SRINAGAR: Strife-torn Kashmir is fast becoming a hub for drug cultivators and smugglers. Twin districts of Anantnag and Pulwama in south Kashmir have attained a dubious identity of being one of the producers of poppy and fuci in the country. Police say more than 10,000 kanals (20 kanals form a hectare) are under poppy and fuci cultivation in south Kashmir. Moreover, trade is thriving with farmers openly cultivating poppy.
Alarmed by this trend, the Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a major drive to destroy poppy fields in south Kashmir. “We have so far destroyed poppy and fuci crops spread over 3500 kanals of land in Pulwama district. This is part of a special drive to check the cultivation of drugs in the area,” said Himant Kumar Lohia, deputy inspector general of police, south Kashmir range.
Police say poppy cultivation is the biggest money spinner in the area. “Ten kanals of land under paddy cultivation can earn the farmer Rs 20,000. But a kilogram of poppy can fetch him Rs 1 crore. Narcotics experts say 12 kanals of land can produce six kilograms of poppy fruit. And after processing, it gives one kilogram of refined poppy which can fetch Rs 1 crore in the market,” said Joginder Singh, Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Shopian in Pulwama district who led the drive against the poppy cultivators.
He revealed the farmers can make 72 types of drugs from the poppy crops. “Even the residue has a value. The straw of the fruit is dried into poppy powder. The remains of fruit are being grind to produce other types of drugs including fuci. The drugs are later smuggled to different states. For example fuci has a great demand in Punjab,” said Singh.
There are more than 20 villages which have attained notoriety in the poppy farming. These include Mallar, Litter, Wachi, Ugler, Tujwangan and Hes in Pulwama district. Sangam belt of Anantnag district is another belt where poppy cultivation is thriving.
Police say they have identified the smugglers and are now trying to get the evidence to nail them. “We need some solid proof so that we can proceed to take action against the people involved. We have seized some machines which are used for processing the poppy fruits. We have also registered a case,” said Singh.
Nitesh Kumar, senior superintendent of police, Pulwama said the police party was attacked by militants when they were destroying the crops. “We came under fire from militants at one place when our men were destroying the crops,” he said.
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