KATHMANDU: Firewood and timber smuggling has reportedly been on the rise from Shivapuri National Park during the lockdown period. According to the Park's chief conservation officer Dil Bahadur Purja, around 100 persons have already been arrested on the charges of timber smuggling in the past week. Some of them were reported as saying that they were compelled to collect firewood, citing shortage of cooking gas in the market, Purja said. However, many were found to be stealing the firewood and timber in an organised manner, by taking the advantage of the lockdown period.