New Delhi: Ladakh is taking strict legal action against tourists doing illegal driving in sensitive ecological areas such as wildlife sanctuaries and Pangong Lake. The Union Territory imposed Rs 2 lakh on four vehicles under the Wildlife Protection Act. All four vehicles were also seized by the authorities for investigation.
The drivers—registered in Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh—could only get their cars back after paying the penalty amount. They were accused of illegal off-roading in four different locations: Merak and Lukung along the shores of Pangong Lake, Nurboo La in Hanle, and Sumur in the Nubra Valley. These areas come under the Leh Wildlife Division.
Charging reckless tourists
Officials reported multiple instances of tourists allegedly driving recklessly. On 23 June, the Punjab-registered vehicle was allegedly driven into the waters of Pangong Lake near Merak to perform stunts. In another case, authorities intercepted a Uttar Pradesh-registered car after footage surfaced online showing it being driven off-road near Lukung inside the Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary.
A second Punjab-registered jeep was allegedly driven through a stream within the Karakoram (Nubra-Shayok) Wildlife Sanctuary, while a Himachal Pradesh-registered vehicle was traced after a viral video allegedly showed it chasing a Tibetan gazelle near Nurboo La in the Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary.
“Acting strictly against rising menace of illegal off-roading, including cases of tourists driving cars in the ecologically sensitive lakes and river streams in Ladakh, the Ladakh administration, on the directions of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, has for the first time, begun prosecuting and imposing hefty penalties on erring drivers,” said the spokesperson of the Ladakh government.
As per a Mint report, the fines were imposed on 26 June—each vehicle was fined Rs 50,000. The spokesperson was quoted saying that the accused drivers were ‘found violating provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act’. The accused drivers were caught during routine wildlife patrols. The officials also tracked them on social media and saw the videos they were uploading.