Chatra villagers destroy poppy crops after cop drives

Chatra: The Chatra district which has become the hub for poppy plants on forest and raiyat land is now witnessing a positive change with the villagers themselves destroying the illegal crops on their own after the police launched massive awareness campaigns in this regard.
Police said they are running regular awareness drives against poppy crops, which are used for making opium, brown sugar and other illegal drugs, and as a result, the villagers are destroying the crops on their own for the first time in the district.
The awareness drives included village meetings where side-effects of the drugs are highlighted and the illegality of the crop which could land the villagers in trouble.
Police said villagers of Kurkheta under Vasisthnagar police station destroyed poppy plants cultivated in several acres of forest land on Wednesday. They used tractors to destroy the plants and level the land.
Chatra SP Rakesh Ranjan said, “Our campaign is now bearing fruit as the villagers are destroying poppy cultivation on their own in their areas.”