PAMPORE: The Revenue department Pampore and Excise Department on Sunday destroyed the bung cultivation spread on 25 kanals of land in Pampore village area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
A bhung destruction drive was carried out at Patalbagh Pampore by a team of Revenue and Excise Departments headed by Tehsildar Pampore Ishtiyaq Mohi-ud-Din. As per reports the bhung had been cultivated on Private as well as State land.
Around 25 kanals of land were cleared in the village. This was the first major bhung destruction drive carried out this year within the jurisdiction of Tehsil Pampore, officials told Kashmir Reader.
Tehsildar Ishtiyaq Mohi-ud-Din informed that on the directions of Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Baseer-Ul-Haq Choudhary an exercise to identify the violators had already been carried out and people had been warned in advance to destroy the cultivated illegal crop on their own. However many landowners didn’t comply with the directions. Consequently the drive was carried out today to cut down the weed from private as well as village common land.
He further added that all the culprits will be booked under relevant sections of NDPS Act that provides for very harsh punishments of over 10 years of jail term and a fine amount of up to Rs two lakh.
All the residents have been warned to desist from cultivating the illicit crop in future.

BILAL HABIB