Raipur, March 13 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has ordered strict action after cases of illegal opium cultivation surfaced in three places in the state in the past couple of weeks, an official said on Friday.
Illegal cultivation of narcotics will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and all departments have been instructed to thoroughly investigate such cases and ensure stringent action against those involved, an official statement quoted the CM as saying.
"In compliance with the directive, the Commissioner of Land Records, Chhattisgarh, has issued instructions to all district collectors to conduct a comprehensive survey of sensitive and vulnerable areas in their respective districts and submit a report within 15 days, clearly stating whether any illegal opium cultivation is taking place in their districts," the statement added.
The directive comes after cases of illegal opium farming were detected in three places in the state.
The state government said that no person involved in illegal cultivation, storage, transportation, or trade of narcotic substances will be spared.
On March 6, police unearthed illegal opium cultivation on around 5.62 acres of land at a farmhouse in Samoda village in Durg. Authorities seized opium plants weighing 62,424.4 kg, estimated to be worth around Rs 8 crore, from the farm.
Local BJP leader Vinayak Tamrakar, who has been suspended by the party since, was among four persons held in the case.
In another case, police detected illegal opium cultivation on about 3.67 acres of land in Tripuri Ghosradand village in Balrampur-Ramanujganj district on March 10. This led to the arrests of Rupdev Ram Bhagat (50), Kaushil Bhagat (30), Manoj Kumar (24), Jirmal Munda (56) and Krishna Singh, all residents of Chhattisgarh, along with Upendra Kumar (27) of Bihar and Vindeshwar (45) of Jharkhand.
Police said that opium plants weighing 4,344.569 kg, estimated to be worth around Rs 4.75 crore, were seized.
On March 12, a joint team of the revenue, police and forest departments busted illegal opium cultivation on about 1.47 acres of land in Turreepani (Khajuri) village under Korandha police station limits in Balrampur-Ramanujganj district.
Around 18 quintals and 83 kg of opium plants, valued at approximately Rs 2 crore, were seized and two persons were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, as per police.
The incidents have led to the Congress attacking the BJP government during the Budget session of the assembly. The ruling BJP wants to turn Chhattisgarh, known as the country's "rice bowl", into an "opium bowl", the Congress has alleged.
Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, over the issue.