April 01, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1429

KHAR, March 31: Tribesmen have voluntarily destroyed poppy crop over 600 kanals of land in the remote area of Barang tehsil of the Bajaur region, officials said.

Political agent Shafeerullah Khan told journalists at a press briefing in Khar that growers had also voluntarily started destruction of poppy crop in Terghaow village.

He said that local elders had been monitoring destruction of the crop that had been grown over 1,600 kanals.

But independent sources disputed the official figures and said that it was one fourth of the total cultivated area. A group of local journalists also visited the area and witnessed destruction of the poppy.

A tribal elder Malik Noor Syed told journalists that the area lacked basic facilities and local population had no source of income and they had to cultivate the poppy.

He said that the government should give priority to the remote area and launch income generating activities there.

Shafeerullah Khan said that the local administration would continue campaign and destroy poppy in the area before cultivation.

He said that before the sowing season local people had formally agreed not to cultivate poppy that had been declared a prohibited plant. But the farmers grew the prohibited crop in Rood, Mimola, Ragha and Amankot localities of Barang tehsil, he added.

Mr Khan said that initially growers refused to destroy the crop following which local authorities launched crackdown against the violators of the agreement, and arrested 450 tribesmen who were released on the request of the local elders.

He said that the government had allocated Rs440 million for development projects in the region in the current annual development programme. He added that the government would construct small hydel power plants and basic health units in the region to improve living standard of the local population. He said that a proposal was under consideration to introduce solar energy in the area.