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-   -   Car convoy attacked in Ladakh by taxi mafia! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/166108-car-convoy-attacked-ladakh-taxi-mafia-14.html)

And this is why, Gentlemen, mafia's rule all over the country. We should not change our plans, roll over, give Mafia what they want.

As per me, such small incidents should be a trigger for mass boycotts of the region. Mafia problems are not solved by giving in. They just become bigger.

Taxi Mafia first banned Taxis. Next step is self drive rentals. Who knows, next may be private cars. After being "victorious", they will go to the next step.

So its best to boycott Ladakh, and look elsewhere. A few years of lean tourist season will be beneficial for the ecology too.

am glad the family is ok... cars can be repaired but lives cannot. i hope the trauma fades away soon enough as well.

a request for fellow members active on twitter - can you post it to some of the media handles so that it can possibly get some mainstream coverage as well and more people are aware of it?

That precisely is my problem! Who are they to warn or "instruct" you? We have enough people instructing, ruling, regulating of their own accord and this should not be tolerated. So what can I do? Well, keep my money and spend it elsewhere where I can roam freely without getting my windshield broken.

You just posted my thoughts. With our typical chalta hain attitude, we'll only manage to embolden these goons and also help spread this to other areas. What if tomorrow the Arunachal guys start to block our vehicles citing the Ladakh example?

I'd rather like to see people like us setting an example by boycotting Ladakh so that other mafias in the country also get the message loud and clear. Well, well... kind of wishful thinking considering the "unity" of the people of our nation.

It never ceases to amaze me how we come up with absurd logic to defend the indefensible ! I have been shaking my head with disbelief since I read a few posts from learned members exhorting us to abide by the unwritten local rules and follow the diktats of the local taxi union. Is this the level of our morality?

My sympathies with the OP and I condemn this utterly insensible attack. I also condemn the veiled defenses for this incident. No bodies, other than the legislative houses and the parliament, are empowered to make any laws, written or unwritten.

Posted a tweet to various Media Houses along with a link to this article for their reference. Hope they look into it.

I retweeted this to the home ministry. What happened is not good nor should be encouraged no matter whatever the reason. But what prompted this attack?

Such attacks just do not happen. They might be the result of a simmering unrest, probably mental and all it takes is a spark to set it off. Once it sets off the reactions are unpredictable; glad that you guys made it out safely.

There are rules; there are laws, but then this is not a computer program that follows the rules. They're manipulated by the contexts and situations. The unrest within the local taxi community must've not gone unnoticed. It was just allowed to simmer and boil.
I've read other threads too that noted how helpful the taxi drivers were earlier. So what made the helpful taxi drivers turn violent? Maybe the local authorities should have taken note of their problems, brain-stormed and could've come up with a more equally viable solution.

Just for argument's sake : Would we have cared for their cause, if they've held a rally or protest? We would've sent out an advisory asking people not to travel during that week.

A good social media campaign against taxi driver mafia may perhaps be quicker (and more effective) than raising this up with the government. There may be limits to what the Central Government can do. The issue is a matter of law & order, which is a state subject. The Jammu & Kashmir state government may also not be very helpful here, if they feel that taking action against the local population is going to harm their vote banks.

From what I could figure out tourism seems to be the only industry which brings some better money to the local population. Other wise the area is not full of industries, do not have any major agricultural income or other large scale employment schemes. I think lot of the local population also gets some contract jobs from the Army, and Border Road Organisation etc. This is especially true in Ladakh region. The Kashmir valley may have better income generating schemes by orchard farming, etc. etc. If one tourist season becomes a wash out, that itself would be enough to get the taxi union mafia to come to the negotiation tables. When I visited Kashmir, eight years back we were camping at a house boat in Dal Lake. At that time terrorism was still a major problem, and tourists were very less in number. The house boat owner (whose son was an ex-terrorist now trying to mend his ways) was telling us the huge revenue impact he had. House boats etc. cost a fortune to be built, and maintained. And he now has to give it out on pittance as the daily rental, as no one was even willing to come there. Many hotels also had tried to remain above water by giving their rooms to the Army on a long-term lease basis (which again was much less, than what they could have made by renting it out to tourists). If the local population has got into some "easy living" mainly depending upon tourism, then one season without tourists would make them sit up and think. Either negotiate, or else go back to the much more hard life at mountainous terrain with no much facilities available.

Dear Friends,

We will soon be filing a Writ Petition in the High Court Of Jammu & Kashmir and i have started a new thread for the same.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...u-kashmir.html

Waseem Memon
Drive Without Borders

This is really shocking and a very unfortunate event. I concur with other members and would stay away from Ladakh till the authorities crack down on such uncivilized behaviour. The police's claim that they can't do anything because penal code in J&K is different is all hogwash. No penal code allows attack on individuals or destruction of their property. Even if it is remotely possible that using a self-driven rental is breaking some J&K law the driver has to be fined/prosecuted, not attacked by a lynch mob.

During my roadtrip to Leh last year I noticed a sea change since my earlier trip in 2003. Roads were jam packed and the locals were very impatient and irritable. Traditionally Ladakhis are very simple and friendly people. If you visit their villages their main concern is still survival against the harsh conditions of the cold desert they live in. They've been isolated to a large extent from outside world forever. With the sudden influx of tourists they're now exposed to our consumerist modern culture which has given rise to greed.

In Himalayan villages there is a culture of villagers who become drivers (of cabs and pickups) being at a higher level of respect (like pilots in our urban culture) as rest of the village depends on them for connecting with the outside world. This leads to a sense of power which manifests as arrogance and coupled with greed makes a very corrupting cocktail. Owning cabs and renting them out to tourists is seen as easy money and they see it as their right which they are ready to protect at all costs. The Ladakhis are in cultural transition.

We visit remote cultures not to study or experience them but to fulfill our need to consume more (travel experience) and boost our ego (announce in our social circle "I travel off the beaten track, unlike you!"). We never give a thought to how our actions are going to have a ripple effect on the simple culture of these remote places. A simplistic culture is like a sponge and will absorb everything new that it observes around. Please study local culture before traveling to such places and try to ensure you leave minimal footprint. It is great to travel and take in the positive energies of these untouched places. Use it to cleanse your spirit but please don't leave your negative energies there. Cheers!

Quoting ashnd and lamborghini
I strongly urge you guys to coordinate with Waseem(SILVERWOOD), and make sure the goons do not go unpunished. Drive without borders is taking the campaign forward through the court of law, and precedent suggests it will be an easy win

This attack is outrageous and cannot be justified in any way. With all due respect to those who are suggesting that local rules written or unwritten must be respected, what local rules are we talking about? Only rules are the law of the land which are passed by the Govt of Union of INDIA and respective States, and laws are enforced by LE departments.

We are already being cheated every other religious and tourist place by local goons, who forcefully stop private cars and collect some local development fees. Soon every other Village will post their local rules and we will have to follow them. Its really SAD.

This kind of incident in simple words nothing but criminal activity.
I remember few years back when Cab services (Like Meru and others) were launched, they were not allowed to go inside railway stations by local auto unions (even when Meru was twice as expensive than auto). This I faced once in Bangalore. That situation has changed over time now.

In today's world and time wise people have understood the impact of actions based on simple economic facts.
The current number of taxis within that region can not be sustained by influx of tourist at any rate. That industry will die on its own. On top of that incidents like attack on tourists will only accelerate the eventual.

I disagree, we have heard several cases of self drive rentals being attacked and one case of private cars bearing the wrath of the mafia. A boycott of ladakh is in order atleast until justice is served in the assault case of the 15 car convoy. I still don't understand why we have accepted the will of the mafia by readily accepting informal ban they have imposed on self drive rentals. This is completely illegal and shows that the law and order situation is really bad up there. I believe Spiti valley and remote UK are viable substitutes for ladakh.

Just got information that Scooter and Moped rentals have been banned in Hampi. This is done by the local traffic cops so that the Auto wallahs can sustain their business. And what about the scooter rental business? And What about the freedom of choice in the alleged Indian "democracy" ?

Goa- Doodhsagar - Private vehicles are banned, we need to mandatory travel in their uncomfortable jeeps.

Munnar- Kerala - At many places you are not allowed to travel in your private vehicle, you are forced to travel in local taxis.

Kerala- the taxi unions outside many big resorts like club mahindra do not even allow other area taxis to enter their area.

These kind of practices are prevalent all over india. I think this should be totally abolished.