At a frenetic pace, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir are going about razing hundreds of acres of poppy fields in the state.

This operation has been on in south Kashmir for more than a month now. The poppy is cultivated over a large swathe of land in Awantipora. Kashmir police have reason to believe that these poppy crops are being grown by militant outfits to fund their operations in the Valley.

“We have had several encounters in this area and it is these areas where we see majority of the poppy cultivation, the correlation is clear. It proves beyond doubt that the cultivation supports funding operations,” Bashir Khan, Superintendent of Police, Awantipora said.

The destroyed crops are estimated to be worth crores in the international market. The Himalayan region is particularly favorable for poppy growing. Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Budgam have become a hub for poppy cultivation in the Valley.

“Poppy and Bhang cultivation is seen in entire South Kashmir. The cultivation is illegal. Though we have been doing it earlier as well but this year the efforts to deal with it and destroy the cultivation have come at a highly coordinated level with Excise, Crime Branch, Police and revenue departments chipping in,” Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Kashmir, Angriz Singh Rana said.

Poppy extracts are transported to the rest of the country for processing and delivery. Since 2008 around four quintals of the banned substance have been seized. Similarly, 3,600 acres of the plant have been destroyed. The job to destroy the fields of poppy has taken on a fresh urgency given the very potent means of funding, it provides for militants.