[yogesh sarkar]

I have been traveling to Himachal and Ladakh for past 13 years, and I will be going to Ladakh for my 9th trip next week.

All those stating that it takes a lot of hard work and what not to travel to those places etc. as an excuse to vandalize these signboards, well, hard work does not entitle you to ruin a beautiful part of the world, by trying to promote one of the thousands of biking/traveling groups in India, else I would think, we had more right than most posting here to do that to even the remotest parts of India and we don’t!

Roads in Ladakh have improved and so have the facilities, anyone claiming it is hard now, you ought to have seen the condition over a decade ago, when I did solo and group rides there. It doesn’t take a whole lot of gut or strength to do any of that, just determination. And for that, your only reward is what you see, not what you can destroy!

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

.............
Taking both these scenarios in consideration, I think its best to put a plain white board besides these landmark road signs for the riders/drivers to put their stickers on. Possibly serves both the purpose.

Just a thought...

Knowing how things work here, must say that yours seems to be the most sensible solution. In fact, it would be awesome if the Team-BHP community takes a lead and does something about this.

So a gentle shout out to those planning a trip in the next 2 months, to give this a thought!

[ashwin1224]

Multiple users have quoted me, completely and conveniently ignoring the /s tag, which usually stands for sarcasm. No different than convenient ignorance while stickering sign boards, eh?

I feel its funny, that even while vandalizing, people have chosen to leave the actual letters "Kunjom top" clear of stickers so that it'll be clear in the inevitable selfies lol

Except for one ingenious sticker designer who designed a sticker in the exact shape and size of the "O" in Top

Also, @mods, some of the comments here are personal attacks at other users, I feel this thread needs some attention. Instead of focusing on the problem and having a civil discussion, we are calling for for public humiliation?

The suggestion to add a plain white board is really great. Solves plenty of things and makes for a cool art installation as well.

[libranof1987]

Despicable.

Leh-Ladakh has become nothing short of a tamasha of late. Going by the stories and pictures on social media, only a minuscule amount of people seem to go there to soak in the essence of the place.

For most, it is just an avenue to indulge in their self-entitlement.

If it hasn't already, the day's not far when Ladakh becomes the new Rohtang Pass.

Originally Posted by am1m

Clicked during my last ride there, last year. These guys spend months living in tents, clad in old gumboots, half torn sweaters, inadequate gloves, breaking stones all day, carrying loads, digging the ground and making the roads that we tourists glide on to our hotels where we can use the wi-fi to upload posts with captions like 'conquered Ladakh'

Oh, and they do this every year. But yeah, we're the ones with the achievements here.

Very well put.

I've seen first-hand the life that BRO leads during a trip to Valley of Flowers and then Badrinath. Their only job, it seems, is to toil day-in, day-out in life-threatening conditions just so everyone can have a joy ride and in the process, abuse nature.

[am1m]

Granted, it may not be a crucial road sign that directs the way, but:

http://www.bro.gov.in/indexmain.asp?...d=102&cat_id=2

If anyone cares to read about 'Project Deepak' of the BRO that built and maintained this particular road.

The units associated with this project have earned a Keerthi Chakra and 38 Shaurya Chakras. They don't just give those out for free you know. The project itself has been on for over 50 years. Long before Leh became a joyride for tourists like me.

Perhaps then one can understand why some of us are finding it hard to digest the justification of obscuring the names of the units that actually built these roads - '108 RCC', '759 BRTF' and indeed the 'Deepak' names on the sign.

[anurag.somani]

To those who're justifying vandalism; entitlement is not an achievement.

The roads are built by BRO, the funds come from tax-payers. These are the reasons you can simply drive up to these points.
Feels good, great - but sorry to burst the bubble - you've not conquered the hills by simply driving up there. There is a lot of sweat and blood gone in making them accessible - the least you & I can do is to respect it (by not vandalizing) while admiring the mountains.

Another rant - many novices simply land into Leh (12,000 ft), immediately drive up-to Khardungla (17,500 ft) - and then pass-out there (because of lack of oxygen & zero acclimatization). The army rescues so many of them everyday. Request, respect the mountains - they always have the last say.

*** End of Rant ***

[kcj3b]

Its not about the sign boards alone.

Its happening to other things as well!

Leh

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle9683035.ece

http://www.businessinsider.in/Ladakh...w/55581434.cms


Gulmarg

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/n...rg/170358.html

http://kashmirglory.com/hc-directs-r...gulmarg-28254/

Pahalgam

http://kashmirreader.com/2017/05/27/...-pda-approves/

http://jksachnews.com/2017/03/06/pah...e-every-where/

http://kashmirreader.com/2016/03/27/...dumping-sites/



Sooner or later , beauty will not be beautiful anymore.
we will not be humans anymore.

Heavy Influx of Tourists should not mean only promoting business but a Ecological balance should be struck.

Green Tribunal should come out and take steps but all said and done , the roman slave was right:

"All Glory is fleeting"

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by ashwin1224

Multiple users have quoted me, completely and conveniently ignoring the /s tag, which usually stands for sarcasm.
.
.
.

Honestly, this is the first time I have come across this /s thing. I thought it was the end of a formatting tag. After reading your post I, like everyone else, thought you were a huge (insert expletive of your choice). Don't be this subtle next time because quite a few of us here are uncles on the wrong side of 40 and our knowledge of contemporary slang is limited to 'bro'.
As many others have suggested, the best place for stickers would be at places like cafes where this sort of thing is permitted.

Take care and ride safe.

[kadanaJ]

Originally Posted by ashwin1224

Guilty as charged.

Forgive us for celebrating years of planning and saving up, agonising ourselves on non existent roads, to go where few go and see the sights which very few get to see. Forgive us for celebrating all the hardwork and occupying a 4inx2in space on a road sign. I just hope no one mistakes this for Khardung La mistakenly due to unnecessary stickers and takes a selfie with the caption "on top of the world".

/s

I think a lot of people missed the /s at the end of your statement, or they might not be familiar with what it means.

Next time you wish to use sarcasm in an online post, it would help to make it more obvious.

[DCEite]

Purely illegal and disgusting. And add to that the polluting and damaging of pristine lakes that these guys are doing.


Can only happen in India. Do you imagine the same set of people even dare to imagine something like this outside India?

[scwagh]

It is really good to hear that a group is cleansing the sign boards and not (further) defacing it. It is a very commendable effort but will last only till the next group reaches laden with their stickers. Maybe BRO should cordon-off or at least cover (slightly) these road signs with barbwire to ensure that placing a sticker is not possible.

Image for representational purpose

[praful]

Originally Posted by DCEite

Can only happen in India. Do you imagine the same set of people even dare to imagine something like this outside India?

Have a look at this post - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post4244600 On this very thread on the first page.

This has been happening 'outside' much before it happened in India. However given that there are 1.3+Billion of us, this will/has escalated out control much sooner.
__________________________________________________ ____


Sad to see that some people actually are defending this practice. And quite honestly this goes to show what a 'tamasha' this whole Leh circuit has become in this decade. I'm glad to have done it before the '3 Idiots' era, where one just took simple pics of 'the board' and did not jump into Pangong Tso because the locals consider it to be sacred.

[SS-Traveller]

Pasting club stickers on landmark signposts is a phenomenon that is not just confined to India, but is prevalent across the world. No one defaces 99.99% of the road signs across the country - it is only the significant signs at those unique destinations that are the focus of attention of these travel- / riding- / automotive-clubs, even individuals. I'd rather have these stickers than scratched graffiti on signposts and walls that say 'Sonu was here' or 'Monu loves Mona'. As long as the main text on the signpost is not obliterated (the Kunjom Top signpost in the opening post does have most of the text legible), I think those stickers liven up the board a bit and make for interesting reading.

In any case,
- these boards are not made to last indefinitely unlike the Taj Mahal; and
- they can be mounted out of reach of people who intend to paste stickers.

[mayankk]

This is from a couple of days ago from when I was in Spiti. The stickers have been taken down, but some enterprising people have been at it again.

[nda992]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Somehow I support the sticker thing.

Because:
Bikers from various parts of the country ride to this tough yet mesmerizing terrain enduring the pain and suffering on their rides. Its not easy, requires a lot of guts and preparation to make it there. Reaching there on the bike shows the rider's endurance and strength.
After all the pain and suffering when one reaches the destination, its an emotional feeling to put his mark on the board. It is a proud feeling. A feeling of satisfaction and achievement.

But, don't get me wrong. Putting stickers on the road signs is not something to be proud of as the stickers are hiding the informative board. Now this becomes dangerous and should be illegal. Partially covering the road signs endangers the life of travelers who are unaware of the terrain.

Taking both these scenarios in consideration, I think its best to put a plain white board besides these landmark road signs for the riders/drivers to put their stickers on. Possibly serves both the purpose.

Just a thought...

By jove, I can't believe that a fellow TBHPian is in favour of these stickers.

If riding a bike to Leh/Ladakh is considered an achievement, then every Indian Army soldier's name should be inscribed all over this country.

There's absolutely NO bravado in riding a bike with a rowdy group to these areas. Personally I've seen a lot of them in Leh and most of them were a bunch of english speaking goons.

Sorry if I've hurt anyone but seeing these villainous stickers on the BRO boards made my blood boil. Do these guys have any idea about how the BRO is painfully maintaining the roads?