Assam: State government to issue new SOP to check the illegal supari business in the state.

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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be issued in January next year regarding the regulation of trucks carrying supari Burmese (areca nuts) from Myanmar through Mizoram and coal through the Barak Valley in the state.

Addressing the state assembly on Thursday, the fourth day of the winter session, Sarma said the deputy commissioners of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts have been asked to discuss with local citizens and prepare a SOP, which will be will be published on January 12. 2022.

Replying to a query from AIUDF MLA Nizamuddin Lashkar in the House today, the Chief Minister said, "It is difficult for the police to distinguish the Burmese supari from the local ones. It makes the police in the Barak Valley seize supari trucks randomly to ascertain their sources and varieties. So, we need to find a mechanism to distinguish the local supari from their Burmese counterparts. I have already instructed the three deputy commissioners of the Barak Valley to find a mechanism to identity supari by taking tips from stakeholders like those in supari business, local people and political leaders. Within January 12, the State Government will issue an SOP on the supari business."

Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said, "The business of local supari takes place not only in the Barak Valley. This business goes on in other districts as well. The Directorate of Horticulture found chemicals that create health hazards in the supari seized in Hailakandi recently. The total area of supari-grown land in the state is around 67,000 hectares. However, the flow of Burmese supari has affected the local supari business in the state."

The chief minister also suggested having an open discussion on coal mining for transparency at the next session of the Assembly.