Illegal drugs worth Rs 1228 crores seized in Manipur in 2022, says CM N Biren Singh
Imphal, Dec 31: Illegal drugs worth Rs 1,228 crore in the international market were seized from January 2022 till date. These include 560 kg of opium and heroin and 500 Kgs of brown sugar, state Chief Minister N Biren Singh said.
About 1780 acres of poppy plantations were destroyed while area of poppy plantation has come down from 6742 acres (in 2021) to 1118 (in 2022), as public responded to the government initiative, Biren Singh while sharing the list of achievement his government in 2022 on Friday night here.Out of the 1118 acres of poppy plantation, 450 acres were destroyed till date.
So far, 703 people including five village chiefs have been arrested and 497 cases registered in connection with poppy plantations and smuggling of drugs, he said.
Asserting that the Government would never compromise on matters related to drugs and corruption, he said the Government would even go to the Supreme Court, if necessary.
At the same time a total of 69 militants gave up arms and returned to normal life through home-coming ceremony since March 2022 till date, he added. The Government has also signed a ‘cessation of operations agreement with the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF).Process for signing similar agreements with some other groups is also in progress.
On the government’s war on drugs campaign, Biren went on to claim that the War on Drugs has been going on quite successfully with the help of the general public by providing alternatives to the villagers.
Due process has been initiated to give bigger benefits to poppy planters under the Alternative Livelihood scheme, he said.
Under the State’s green and clean initiative, Rs 5 lakh each were given to 21 villages under Kuilong area while another Rs 5 lakh each to 13 villages in Churachandpur district for conserving forest.
In a move to enhance security of people travelling on highways, 24 GPS-fitted vehicles have been deployed. A number of equipment have also been procured for Manipur Fire Service too.
He added 40 police outposts including 34 along Indo-Myanmar border and 4 along highways are under construction and they are expected to be complete by February 2023.These outposts would help a lot in checking illegal activities, he felt.
Mounted police unit has been revived apart from introducing an unarmed tourist police unit to help tourists after the state becomes an upcoming tourist destination, he added.
Selected and trained female commandos have been deployed at different places and the Government has been working to raise their number, he said. With the objective of facilitating better communication among different communities, teaching of seven local dialects has already started in the state.