Ladakh remains one of the most beautiful yet sensitive ecological zones of our country, which is why tourists need to be careful about how they treat the area. However, one couple from Jaipur, Rajasthan, found this out the hard way. The couple was fined Rs. 50,000 for driving their Toyota Fortuner SUV on sand dunes in Hunder in Nubra Valley. The Leh Police posted two photos on Facebook showing the SUV doing some off-roading in the cold desert.
In its Facebook post, Leh Police wrote, "One tourist vehicle was found violating the SDM [sub-divisional magistrate] Nubra's direction not to drive cars over sand dunes in Hunder. The couple from Jaipur were booked as per law and a bond of Rs. 50,000 was taken by them. District police Leh requests tourists not to drive on sand dunes as you damage the natural landscape and violate the prohibitory orders."
Environmental experts suggest that uncontrolled tourism can damage the ecologically sensitive region
Located at an altitude of about 10,000 ft. above sea level, the Nubra Valley is located about 120 km north of Leh and witnesses the meeting of the Shyok and Siachen rivers. The valley separates the Ladakh region from the Karakoram range and the Siachen glacier. Tourists travel through the Nubra Valley to travel over the Khardung La pass.
The Ladakh region is stunningly beautiful as a cold desert landscape but sparsely populated. It is open to tourists between April and September during the summer months. The recent influx of tourists owing to better infrastructure in the region has been a cause of concern, despite being great economically for the locals. Many environmental experts suggest that uncontrolled tourism can damage the ecologically sensitive region.
This is not the first time tourists have been caught desecrating the Ladakh region. Earlier this year, a video went viral showing an Audi SUV being driven across the Pangong Lake with two tourists hanging out of the roof.
