Ladakh fines four drivers ₹200,000 for illegal off-roading

The Ladakh administration has imposed fines totaling 200,000 rupees on four motorists for illegally driving their vehicles through ecologically sensitive areas, including Pangong Lake and protected wildlife sanctuaries. The penalties, issued under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, mark the first such enforcement action against offroading violations in the Union Territory.

Acting on the directions of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, wildlife officials fined each offender 50,000 rupees. Their vehicles, registered in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Chandigarh, were impounded and only released after the penalties were paid in full. Officials described the action as the toughest yet against a growing trend of illegal offroading that threatens Ladakh's delicate high-altitude ecosystems.

The violations were uncovered through routine wildlife patrols and videos circulating on social media. They occurred at four locations under the Leh Wildlife Division: Merak and Lukung along Pangong Lake, Nurboo La in Hanle, and Sumur in the Nubra Valley. These areas fall within protected zones like the Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and the Karakoram (Nubra-Shayok) Wildlife...