Illegal ways of Rajasthan’s legal opium for addicts

Signboards in Gurmukhi of “Theka Bhukki-Post” or vends of poppy husk and straw dot the towns along the Rajasthan highway in the Punjab-Haryana border area. That’s the only sign of Punjabi in Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar’s commercial establishments. The Punjab clientele is critical for the vends.

Opium is cultivated in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh  ostensibly for pharmaceutical use. Licit opium is also grown in Uttar Pradesh. However, with this comes the byproduct of poppy husk and a wide network of illegal trafficking. The opium crop cycle runs from October to May. In February-March, the opium capsule is ready for lancing or extraction of the latex (raw opium). The capsule after extraction of raw opium is known as “Lanced Poppy Head” or LPH in original, poppy straw in cut-crushed and doda in powdered form.

While the raw opium crop is collected and controlled by the Central Narcotics Department, the LPH is sold by licensed retailers in Rajasthan to those with consumption permits issued by the state Excise Department. However, a Comptroller and Auditor General report reveals huge illegal trafficking of LPH and its roaring illegal business in Punjab and Haryana.

The Excise Department audit a year back revealed that opium was cultivated on 13,789 hectare by 41,454 cultivators, but only 28,695 had filed declaration forms, showing production of 40,523 quintal of LPH on 7,389 hectare. There was no record of the LPH cultivated on 6,399 hectare of land. Cultivation and production of LPH is confined to seven districts: Baran, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Jhalawar, Kota, Partapgarh and Udaipur. While Baran, Chittorgarh, Jhalawar and Partapgarh are known for high production of LPH, the districts of Barmer, Srigangangar, Hanumangarh, Jodhpur and Bikaner are known for high consumption of LPH.

Rajasthan earns Rs 85.23 crore annually as LPH licence fee and excise duty. This LPH is meant for 26,585 registered addicts  and the annual earmarked consumption quota is 19,88,670 kg, says the audit report. But having produced 40,523 quintal of LPH, a huge quantity is illegally trafficked. As per rules, every cultivator has to either sell or destroy his LPH crop by July 31 but there is complete lack of monitoring on it.