PANAJI
The Goa government had last year aborted a proposal for legalising limited cultivation of poppy and cocoa but has now appointed an 'advisory board' under the law to advise it on the issue.
In a notification, the Home department has entrusted the three-member Goa State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) the additional responsibility of this advisory board under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1986.
Retired Bombay High Court Judge Utkarsh Bakre will be its chairman and former district judges Desmond D’Costa and Pramod V Kamat, its members.
Bhakre, D'Costa and Kamat also man the GSHRC.
Under the provision of the NDPS Act, the trio of former judges will be expected to advise the government on issues related to permitting and regulating the "cultivation or gathering" of the cocoa plant and opium poppy.
Issues related to production, possession, sale, purchase, transport, inter-State import and export, or consumption of coca leaves, production and manufacture of opium and production of poppy straw, sale of opium and opium derivatives from Central government factories for export or sale to State government or to manufacturing chemists and also medicinal opium will be in the realm of their responsibility to advise the State government on.
