Twomonths after it was first exposed, poppy cultivation is making a quiet comebackin Kolhapur’s sugarcane fields. It may be recalled that the raids conducted twomonths ago followed media reports which provided details of the entire nexus.Shahuwadi police arrested Bhanudas Patil, on 28th February 2012, a notedGanja cultivator from Sagao village of Kolhapur district and seized hugequantity of Ganja. Though Patil was released on 9th March, investigationsare still on and the police is yet to file a charge sheet against the accuseddespite 3 kgs of opium being seized from his home and another 20 kgs from hisfields.
Highlyplaced sources in Kolhapur district confirmed that farmers were cultivatingGanja over 800 acres of land which constitutes over 2.5% of Kolhapur’s over45000 acre sugarcane fields. Villages like Natholi, Chikali, Sagao, Padali andother villagers had most of the farmers cultivating ganja as returns were moreremunerative when compared to other crops.
Increasingdemand for Opium / Ganja in the country and its proximity to Goa has enticed quitea few of the farmers to migrate from traditional crops to risky yet lucrativeones such as opium. A vast tract of Western Maharashtra known for sugarcultivation is now emerging as the hub for such activities in the whole ofMaharashtra. Tukaram Patil, a sugar cane farmer is yet to come to terms withthe shock of learning that poppy cultivation was happening next to his crop, hesaid “ It is a shame to carry on such illegal activities. We earn our dailybread on sugarcane, it’s not fair to cultivate the crop which destroys ouryoung generation”.
Anotherfarmer speaking on the condition of anonymity accused the district police withhaving a stake in the cultivation of ganga and turning a blind eye. He said“The Ganja is supplied from Mumbai to Goa.”
Meanwhilein Mumbai, NarcoticsControl Bureau’s (NCB) zonal director Yashodhan Wange expressed shock in thisdisturbing new trend. “Poppy farming happening at such a large scale inMaharashtra is shocking. The NCB is monitoring the situation closely and wehave an action plan to curb this new worrisome trend, while working inassociation with the local authorities.” Wange also informed that satelliteimagery would be used to put a curb to this racket.
But thenMaharashtra’s Vidhan Sabha too was rocked by the disclosures of the sugarcanebelt of Kolhapur. "A special state-level cell will be set up to crack downon opium trading racket," promised State Home Minister R. R. Patil hadsaid in Vidhan Sabha during the budget session. Stating that the stateNarcotics Department was vigilant, “a total of Rs 3.57 lakh-worth opium poppycrop has been destroyed by the police so far and thirty- one cases have beenregistered (including 5 cases in Beed, 4 in Pune and 2 in Satara). Eighty-ninefarmers and four businessmen have also been arrested."
Thelocal farmers however aren’t convinced. “The police should act in an impartialmanner to curb these activities and stem it for good” says Balasaheb Nimbalkarfrom Chikali village in Kolhapur district. The case is still isn’t closed.
