Is Odisha gradually turning into a narcotics hub? The question has started haunting the minds of everyone after Forest, Excise and police officials destroyed opium poppy plantations in acres of woodland in the Similipal sanctuary. So, Who is behind this illegal farming? and that too inside a sanctuary? How long this has been going on? Why did it take so long for the administration and the Forest Department to figure it out? Who is growing opium inside Similipal National Park in Odisha? In four phases, Forest, Excise officials and police have damaged opium poppy plantations worth Rs 40 crore inside the sanctuary. According to some local residents and observers, the price of poppy seeds used as spices is very high in various parts of the state while the same has been very cheap in local markets of Karanjia and Jashipur. It points to the fact that poppy seed farming has been going on in the area for a long time. Opium is produced from the sap in the fruits of poppy seed plants, and it is believed that the mafia is encouraging innocent tribals to take up poppy seed cultivation. The involvement of Maoists in this illegal farming cannot be ruled out. According to the Odisha Forest Department, there are 36/37 villages in the core area of Similipal. The opium poppy is cultivated in two or three villages. The Excise department says there are several other areas where opium poppy is being cultivated and the plantations will be destroyed soon.