Leh, July 14 -- The Ladakh Administration has intensified its crackdown on illegal off-roading in protected wildlife areas, imposing a collective fine of Rs.1.20 lakh on 12 bikers and Rs.50,000 on an SUV driver for violating the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in ecologically sensitive zones around Tso Moriri and Pangong Lake.
In the first action of its kind against a motorcycle group, wildlife officials penalised 12 bikers, each fined Rs.10,000, after they were found riding off-road near Tso Moriri on July 4. The bikers, part of a Gurugram-based tour operator, had entered the ecologically fragile wetland within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary in violation of Section 29 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. The offence was compounded under ...