Avinash Azad
In a classic case of official denial contradicting glaring ground realities, an official Right to Information (RTI) response from the Office of the Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Budgam, in Kashmir has claimed that not a single All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) or Quad Bike is registered or operating on the roads.
Meanwhile, hundreds of these high-powered adventure machines continue to dominate the landscape of Kashmir’s premier tourist destinations, including Budgam’s own alpine meadow, Doodpathri.
According to official document No. ARTO/Bud/2025-26/164-65, dated, March 25, 2026, issued in response to an application filed by Srinagar resident Mudasir Ahmad Bhat, the transport department operates in a vacuum regarding ATVs.
When specifically asked for registration certificates, fitness logs, and enforcement actions against quad bikes, the ARTO Budgam responded with definitive blanket denials: On registration, the office stated that “as per the official database of Vahan, there is no distinct vehicle category registered as ATVs.”
On enforcement, the report explicitly notes, “Since no ATV has been registered and no ATV is plying on Public roads. Consequently, no challans have been issued or any actions initiated.”
On legality, the ARTO went a step further, clarifying that ATVs “are not road-legal and cannot be registered through the Regional Transport Officer (RTO).”
While the Vahan database shows a clean slate of zero registrations, a simple visit to Kashmir’s tourist hubs tells a vastly different story. In Doodpathri (which falls directly under the jurisdiction of the Budgam administration), Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg, ATVs are not only present—they form the backbone of a highly commercialized adventure tourism ecosystem.
Tourists routinely pay anywhere between ₹500 to ₹4,000 per ride to navigate these off-road quad bikes through fragile meadows, forest loops, and riverbeds. Commercial tour operators openly market these activities online, providing pre-bookings, established tracks (such as the Tangmarg to Drung waterfall loop), and fleet rentals.
If the ARTO Budgam maintains that no trade certificates have been issued for the operation of ATVs and that these vehicles are legally prohibited from registration, under whose authority and safety standards are hundreds of commercial ATVs operating on a daily basis?
The absolute mismatch between the transport department’s records and reality raises critical concerns about public safety, commercial regulation, and administrative accountability. If the RTO does not register these vehicles, they lack standard regulatory inspections, Manufacturer Certificates of Conformity, and mandatory commercial insurance policies. If an accident occurs, tourists are left legally exposed.
When pressed on the active ATVs currently operating in the Doodpathri area of Budgam, the ARTO response shifted the onus, stating it “falls under the jurisdiction of RTO Kashmir as no ATV has been registered as per vahan records.” The transport department cannot simply close its eyes and pretend a thriving, hundreds-strong vehicular fleet doesn’t exist just because the “Vahan database” lacks a category for it. It is high time the RTO Kashmir and the UT Transport Department step in to formalize a legal framework for ATVs, ensuring tourist safety and environmental preservation instead of hiding behind bureaucratic paperwork.
