MUGU, May 9: In the absence of security personnel, the border police post in Karmarong Rural Municipality-2 of Mugu, which is adjoined to the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, has turned into a shed for cattle since last November.
Nakchya Lagna Customs Point is the shortest and easiest route to Tibet from Mugu. To ensure safety in the border area, the government had set up a security post of Nepal Police here.
The police post is supposed to have 19 police personnel under the command of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
However, the post remains vacant these days due to the absence of police personnel. The police station has become a home for livestock and a playground for children.
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During winter, security personnel shift to the district headquarters to avoid extreme cold in upper Mugu.
They return to their station only after the onset of summer. Lal Bahadur Ayer, acting chief of the District Police Office (DPO) informed Republica that preparations are underway to send the security personnel back to their post.
At a time when a huge number of people flock to the highlands of Mugu to collect Yarsa, a prized medicinal herb, the presence of security personnel is highly felt in Mugum Karmarong, which is adjoined to the Tibetan border.
According to Bikash Rijal, chief administrative officer (CAO) of Mugum, they have urged the District Security Committee to manage police in the border area and deploy security personnel in the vacant post to avoid violence and criminal activities.
In the past, police personnel used to return to their post in February. However, this year, they have shown no sign of returning even after the beginning of May.
These days, even in cases of minor fights and disputes, locals are obliged to walk for a whole day to reach the police station of Pulu to settle the cases. "Usually, police reach our village only after criminals manage to escape. Had the committee mobilized police in the border, criminals would not have been roaming around freely," said Karma Tamang Lama, chairperson of Mugum Karmarong-2.
He stressed the need of mobilizing police as soon as possible to control smuggling and poaching of wild animals and herbs from the highlands.
