RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Nov.17: Police in Jharkhand will use drone cameras to stop opium cultivation.
In Chatra, the exercise has been started with the commissioning of 12 high-quality drone cameras. In the district, sub-inspector level police officers are being imparted training to ensure optimum use of the camera.
A police official said that suspected areas of opium cultivation in the district include Sail, Bedag and Kadle under Sadar police station area, Jori and Baniabandh under Vashist Nagar police station area, Gadia, Amkudar and Kunda under Rajpur police station area besides remote areas under Pratappur police station.
“Keeping these areas in mind, directions have been given to use drones in these areas,” the official said.
Superintendent of police of the district Rakesh Ranjan confirmed the development saying the drone camera will keep vigil inside the forest area, where opium cultivation is usually done, and in case anyone is found preparing the ground for cultivation police will take action.
A police official having experience of destroying opium plants in remote areas said drone cameras are good for police but it is of little use to check on opium cultivation.
“Unless the plant does not grow, it is difficult to ascertain that the ground has been prepared for opium cultivation or something else and taking action becomes difficult. Destruction of opium plants is more important and it usually grows beside rivers and rivulets. A police team can easily destroy them by walking beside rivers and rivulets. To put a check on opium cultivation, human intelligence is more important than electronic surveillance,” the official said.
On which SP Ranjan said he has already taken measures in this direction.
“Apart from drone surveillance, forest department officials have also been alerted. We have also registered FIR against 125 people involved in opium cultivation on the basis of information reaching through forest officials and other sources. Besides drone surveillance, we have also constituted a team to destroy opium cultivation,” Ranjan said.
Opium cultivation has always been a matter of concern for the police.
“Cultivation of opium is done with the help of extremists for earning. The Narcotics Control Bureau claims that the state 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 police 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 official added.
