A  high level meeting held in Chatra on Thursday chalked out strategies to curb opium cultivation with focus on ways to trace out the inter-state criminals involved in the illegal farming.

IG (Operation) Ashis Batra and IG CRPF Sanjay Lathekar were among the senior officials who participated in the meeting.

Speaking to media later Batra said police are trying to track opium traders of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who are trying to finance opium cultivation in the state particularly Chatra district. He added that inter-state coordination is taking place at the various levels to trace and nab the culprits.

He stated various technologies including satellites are also being used to track the area where the crop is being grown. He added police officers have been asked to take stringent action against the cultivators.

The IG (operation) informed that in the past one year opium crop grown on around 3000 acre of land was destroyed in the state.

Batra pointed out that Chatra is one of the 13 worst affected districts of the country adding several extremist organisations including CPI (Maoists), TPC and JJMP are active in the area.

He said CPI (Maoists) are trying to become active on bi-junction of Hazaribag and Chatra district adding police are carrying continuous operations against them. The Maoists are indulging in arson to make their presence felt.

On levy collection the IG (Operation) claimed that Chatra police has arrested several members who were involved in the crime adding work was still continuing in this regard.