In a first for Ladakh, the administration has deployed 100 retired personnel from the Army, paramilitary forces and the Ladakh Scouts as part of a newly created Environment Protection Force (EPF), empowering them to patrol ecologically sensitive areas and crack down on illegal off-roading.
The deployment comes days after the administration fined four tourists a total of Rs 2 lakh for driving through ecologically sensitive areas near Pangong Lake and allegedly chasing a Tibetan gazelle in a protected wildlife habitat.
The force will be deployed across high-altitude ecosystems, wildlife habitats and other environmentally sensitive areas. They have been authorised to detect environmental violations, prevent illegal activities and issue on-the-spot challans.
The action marked a significant escalation in Ladakh’s efforts to curb illegal off-roading, which conservationists have long warned damages fragile alpine vegetation, disturbs wildlife and leaves lasting scars on the cold desert landscape.
New Force To Police Eco Violations
The Environment Protection Force has been set up to tackle illegal off-roading and other activities that threaten Ladakh’s ecology, including littering, pollution and violations in protected areas.
Announcing the deployment, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said the force would serve as a deterrent against illegal off-roading, which threatens endangered wildlife and harms the region’s fragile ecosystem.
“These EPF personnel… will be authorised to detect, prevent and challan the violators, on the spot,” Saxena said in a post on X.
Besides checking illegal off-roading, the force will also monitor wildlife habitats and other ecologically sensitive areas to strengthen enforcement of environmental regulations.
The retired personnel will be engaged on a monthly remuneration, with the administration saying the initiative aims to strengthen environmental protection while providing post-retirement employment opportunities to ex-servicemen.
Saxena said the initiative would also support responsible tourism by helping preserve Ladakh’s high-altitude ecosystem.
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