Poppy, cannabis plants to be destroyed in Chhota Bhangal

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, May 26

The Kangra district administration will start a campaign to destroy opium and cannabis plantations in the Chhota Bhangal area. Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal said the campaign would

start on Saturday and continue for a month.

Monthlong drive from today

• The monthlong campaign will start on Saturday
• Drones will be used to map the remote areas for opium and cannabis plantations
• Local panchayats will also be involved in the drive to destroy these plantations

Kangra SP Shalini Agnihotri said drones would be used to map the remote areas for opium and cannabis plantations. Chhota Bhangal is one of the remotest areas of Kangra district comprising seven panchayats. Since the area was part of the Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary, there was no road connectivity in various parts.

The police have reports that some people were using higher reaches of the Chhota Bhangal area for poppy and cannabis plantation. Sources said the weather in the remote areas of Chhota Bhangal hills was ideal for growing cannabis and poppy.

The DC said local panchayats would be involved in the campaign of destroying opium and cannabis plantations.

Sources said some narcotics smugglers of the Mandi area had shifted their area of operation to Chhota Bhangal for growing narcotics crops.

Police sources also hinted at the involvement of an organised syndicate in the cultivation of poppy in high-altitude areas. The detection of activity of organised narcotics syndicate in Kangra district has put the police authorities on high alert.

The residents of the area boycotted the recent Lok Sabha elections to protest against the inclusion of their area in the wildlife sanctuary.

Earlier also, the police had carried out campaigns to weed out cannabis and poppy plantations in the Chhota Bhangal area.

#Kangra