Srinagar, October 29 (KNO): In order to stop the illegal cultivation of Poppy and Cannabis crops across the Kashmir Division, the Divisional Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan on Monday constituted District Level Committees for every district.The committees will be headed by Additional Deputy Commissioners of respective districts. Excise & Taxation Officers are the Member Secretary and senior officers from Agriculture, Horticulture, Floriculture, Industries, Medicinal Plant Board, CID, Social Welfare and Education departments will be the members of the District Level Committees. The District Level Committees were directed to hold their first meeting within a week and discuss threadbare regarding the survey to identify the potential areas with total kanals of land involved in Rabi and Kharief seasons, profiling of families involved, besides collecting the exact details of cultivators involved. For Convergence mode, which alternate crop seedling, seeds and plants will be distributed to the involved families will also be discussed, besides cash compensation shall be provided to the involved families for proper rehabilitation. The committees will also undertake mass awareness and counseling programmes involving HOD Social Science University of Kashmir and educational institutions of the affected areas. All District Level Committees will send the report to the Divisional Commissioner’s office within fifteen days for further course of action.
The District Level Committees will also hold monthly meetings and send their progress report to the Divisional Commissioner’s office. The Divisional Commissioner also constituted Divisional Level Committee which will be headed by Additional Commissioner Kashmir and Directors of Floriculture, Agriculture, Horticulture Industries, Agro Industries Development Corporation, Medicinal Plant Board, CID, Social Welfare, Excise and Education departments are the members. The Police were directed to register the incidents of enforcement drives as and when carried out and formal FIRs against the cultivators once Revenue and Excise shares the details of cultivators with them. It was informed that the government intends to provide skill development and industrial training to the people involved in illicit consumption, cultivation and trade of poppy and cannabis through the Departments of industries and technical Education in order to provide them reasonable opportunities to earn their living. Rehabilitation plan with Departments of Floriculture, Agriculture, Horticulture and Argo Industries Development Corporation for making a policy on alternate crop development for farmers involved in illegal cultivation of poppy and cannabis and to divert their farm activities from illicit cultivation and adoption of cash crop for their livelihood. The Divisional Commissioner reiterated that government is committed to stop illegal cultivation of Poppy and Cannabis crops across the valley as early as possible so that drug menace will be weed out completely from our society. Excise Commissioner Talat Parvez, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Syed Abid Rashid Shah, Director Industries Bilal Ahmad, Senior officers from Agriculture, Horticulture, Floriculture, Industries, Medicinal Plant Board, Police and other concerned officers were present in the meeting whereas all Deputy Commissioners of the Kashmir Division participated the meeting through video conferencing.(KNO)