Jharkhand new hotspot of illicit opium cultivation: NCB

The contraband produced there is high in demand in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and western UP

New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has claimed that Jharkhand has become a major hotspot in the country for illicit cultivation of opium and the contraband produced in the tribal state has been in high demand in states like Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and western parts of Uttar Pradesh.

A senior NCB official said high quality opium illicitly cultivated in Jharkhand has been finding new means and modus operandi to reach the destinations in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and western parts of Uttar Pradesh.

“The illicit cultivation of opium, which is facilitated by the topography of the state, is mostly under the control of the insurgent group. Its price competitiveness makes it high in demand, as the price of illicit opium produced in north-eastern states and smuggled through Indo-Pak international borders are always on the higher side,” said a senior NCB official.

He said in the recent past, NCB and other concerned agencies including the Jharkhand Police have destroyed acres of opium fields, but it was difficult to establish links with Naxal outfits in opium cultivation.

However, the agency recently initiated a systemic investigation to ascertain the financial trail and explore any possible Naxal connection in recent seizures, the official said, adding: “Hotspot districts for illicit cultivation of opium are Chatra, Khunti, Latehar and Palamu in Jharkhand. Till date, no such name (Naxal outfit) has appeared, but the region is mostly Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected.”