NEW DELHI: Indian citizens visiting tourist hotspots in the ‘protected' areas of Ladakh, some of which are in forward areas, will have one less paperwork to deal with. The administration has scrapped the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in yet another move to underline India's sovereignty over the territory.
Tourists venturing to these areas will still have to pay the environment fee of Rs 300 and Red Cross Fund fee of Rs 100 each. The good news is that they can do so from the comfort of their hotels using the online portal, officials told TOI. All visitors also need to carry valid identity proof during travel and foreigners will still need the Protected Area Permit.
The scrapping of the ILP system, however, will not result in unfettered access. The Ladakh administration will separately notify areas, mostly ‘zero-km' villages on the border, where tourists will not be allowed. The home ministry on Saturday asked for such a list, which will be finalized shortly after consultation with the police and the Army.
Thang village on the border with Pakistan in the Nubra valley; Dungti, Koyul, Demchok and Chumar in the Nyoma subdivision in eastern Ladakh are likely to remain out of bounds. In Kargil district, tourists can now travel to places such as Batalik easily.
Ladakh was opened up for tourists in October 1974. Although tourists were allowed to travel to a limited number of places, the move attracted droves of foreign tourists and firmly established the frontier area as an undisputed Indian territory in the global mindspace. In early days, access to Pangong Tso, for example, was allowed only between 6am and 5pm, when tourists had to mark their return at the Lukung checkpost. Similarly, Turtuk was opened up only in 2010.
A lot of areas have been opened up progressively since then. But many still remain out of bounds, mostly on Army's insistence, much to the chagrin of local population who want to reap the economic benefit of tourism the way Leh and Nubra Valley have.
