Govt announces creation of 550 sq km Banke National Park - 13 May, 2010

The government on Thursday formally announced the creation of Banke National Park (BNP) spread at an area of 550 sq km.

A cabinet meeting held today took the decision to this effect, said Ram Prasad Lamsal, chief, monitoring division of Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC).

According to the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), the BNP and the neighboring Bardiya National Park will together be the biggest tiger habitat in the whole of Asia.

The BNP Buffer Zone will fall in seven VDCs of Banke, one VDC of Bardiya, three VDCs of Dang, and three VDCs of Salyan districts with the total area of 344 sq. km.

The government announcement of the creation of BNP has angered the locals and community forest users group who feel that they were not consulted prior to taking this major decision.

According to the Department of Forest, there are conservation challenges like illegal collection of timber and other forest products, stealing woods, over-grazing,forest fire including poaching of wild animals.

The department expects that there will be reduction in such problem now that Banke has been declared a national park.

[source: nepalnews.com]

KIST Bank Robbery attempt foiled - 16 April, 2010

The plan of two men to rob a bank in Nepalgunj on Friday afternoon was foiled thanks to swift reaction by its security guards.

Mubarak Siddiquie and Safin Rauniyar of Puraina-3 had entered KIST bank located in Dhambozhi with the intention to rob it when it was about to close at around 2 pm. But when the bank's security guards spotted one of them carrying a pistol, they quickly overpowered the two and took them under control. The two were later handed over to the police. Reports said the two men had parked their black Apache motorcycle with registration no Ba 18 Pa 799 in front of the bank, with its engine running. They had a bank cheque of Rs 20,000 with them and had at first said they had come to withdraw cash. Police said that they are investigating the case and are trying to ascertain whether there were others involved in the attempted robbery.

[source: internet]

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