The popular visitor centre and adjoining office of the Annapurna Area Conservation Project (ACAP) in the scenic town of Ghandrung was destroyed by armed Maoists earlier this month. A dozen Maoists raided the centre, and set fire to the building, destroying it completely. Eyewitnesses said the fire spread rapidly after the Maoists set gas cylinders ablaze which exploded. The centre at Ghandrung was one of eight in the Annapurna area. ACAP is seen as a model eco-tourism project that tries to use tourism revenue directly for rural development.