Bhubaneswar, March 13 -- Famous for its rich biodiversity, Similipal Sanctuary in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district is back in the news for the wrong reasons.

An unheard-of fact that it has allegedly become a hub of opium poppy farming came to the fore after joint teams of Forest, Excise, and Police officials destroyed opium poppy plantations worth Rs 20 crore spread in acres of woodland in the core areas of the sanctuary in the last two months.

As per reports, opium poppy farming has been going on in the sanctuary over the years while locals have been under the impression that they are growing poppy seeds. It is suspected that there are some other remote areas where such illegal farming might be thriving unnoticed.

Law enforcement authorit...