13 yarcha pickers arrested

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

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

Generally in Dolpa, yarcha 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 yarchagumba, said Bhandari.

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