Police have seized 17 quintals of Setak Chini (Moringa Oleifera), locally known as Khiraula, from Dhalaun in Saipal Rural Municipality-2, Bajhang. The seizure was made on Tuesday as the herb consignment was being transported to Chainpur from Saipal Rural Municipality. DSP Surya Bahadur KC said that they are facing difficulty transporting the seized herb to the district headquarters due to continuous rainfall and snowfall in the area for the last few days.

“As there’s no communication service in the area, we are facing problems transporting the herb. We are going to transport Setak Chini through mules within a few days and hand them over to the Division Forest Office.”

Karna Bahadur Budha, officiating chief of the Division Forest Officer, said that the forest office has also sent its employees to Dhaluan after the incident.

“We have been informed that the herb was being transported as per a receipt of the community forest,” said Budha, informing that the detail of the incident can only be determined after Setak Chini is brought to the district headquarters.

This year, the forest office has only allowed collecting 3,360kg Setak Chini from the district. According to the forest authorities, they have issued permits to 42 businessmen to collect Setak Chini.

As per the rule, a businessman can only collect 80 kilos of Setak Chini. However, 17 quintals of Setak Chini was seized from the assistant of Hari Bahadur Budha, owner of Binita General Stores and Suppliers in Surkhet. Budha had acquired the permit to collect only 80 kg Setak Chini from the forest area of Talkot Rural Municipality. On February, police also seized 715kg Setak Chini from Chaugaun Tole in Chainpur.

Herb smugglers often take advantage of sparse presence of government authorities in the high hills of Bajhang. During mid-August to mid-December of 2018, hundreds of people from Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan, Pyuthan, Dang, Dailekh, Jajarkot, Humla, Jumla and Surkhet, among other districts, collected more than 70,000 quintals of Setak Chini from various forests of Bangul Municipality and Durgathali, Chhabispathibhera and Khaptadchhana Rural Municipalities without government permits.

Experts in medicinal herbs trade say some herb traders have been colluding with the DFO employees to smuggle Setak Chini. Pasang Lama, a native of Saipal Rural Municipality, said that the employees of DFO are working with herb smugglers to extract medicinal herbs in a rampant manner. “We have been informed that employees of DFO are making efforts to legalise the rampant herb collection,” said Lama.