13 arrested for picking Yarsagumba

As many as 13 persons were arrested from Toijumpost for illegally entering the highlands in the Dolpa district to collect yarsagumba.

A joint team of the Shey-Phoksundo National Park and the Ramban Battalion of the Nepal Army the arrest caught them who entered the area to collect the medicinal herbs before the yarsa picking season begins, said the Park conservation officer Lal Bahadur Bhandari.

Generally in Dolpa, yarsa pickers are allowed through an all-party meeting. Similarly earlier, a joint team of the Park and the Army also arrested 40 people for illegally entering Kusana and Punikha to collect yarsagumba, said Bhandari.

The team has been regularly patrolling the area during the yarsa picking season, the Park sources said. The Park has urged people to go for yarsa collection only after taking permission or else action is enforced. ---