Chatra (Jharkhand), Dec 17 (PTI) Jharkhand Home Secretary Vandana Dadel and Director General of Police Anurag Gupta on Tuesday asked officials concerned to expedite an ongoing drive against poppy cultivation and launch a crackdown on smugglers.

Jharkhand Police have been carrying out a drive against poppy cultivation over the past few days and have destroyed poppy plants on hundreds of acres of land in various districts, including Palamu and Khunti, officials said.

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Dadel and Gupta on Tuesday visited Chatra and held a meeting with senior officials of police, forest, agriculture and other departments of four districts -- Chatra, Hazaribag, Latehar and Ranchi – to review the drive.

Dadel said officials were directed to destroy poppy cultivation, wherever spotted, in a coordinated manner with the departments concerned.

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Gupta said preparations have been made to launch a crackdown on those involved in opium cultivation.

"There is a need to catch big fish. Properties of those who have earned huge wealth through opium smuggling will be seized," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)