SRINAGAR: For the first time, there’s a possibility that the 440-km strategically important Srinagar-Leh national highway may remain open in the winter months to facilitate movement of troops, equipment and other essentials amid the ongoing standoff between Indian LAC in eastern Ladakh.
A senior official of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) — which looks after the maintenance of the Srinagar-Leh highway that connects Kashmir with Ladakh — told this newspaper they will be doing their level best to keep the highway open this winter.
The official said they had got the equipment and machinery to keep the highway open, but added that all their efforts would depend on nature and the intensity of snowfall.
The nearly 30-km stretch from Gagangeer to Zojila Pass, which is about 105 km from Srinagar, is the main bottleneck in keeping the highway open.
The stretch, especially Zojila Pass and its adjoining areas, witnesses heavy snowfall, with the road buried under many feet of frozen ice.
Kargil Deputy Commissioner Baser-ul-Haq Choudhary said the administration had been working on keeping the highway open for winter since last year on the directions of the Ladakh lieutenant governor.
On the challenges that it posed, the DC said, “Snow is not the problem; we have got the machines to remove it. The problem is that the landscape and gradient is very steep. There is a 90 degree slope.”
According to him, the main problems are the avalanches and the slippery condition of roads due to freezing of snow.
The official, however said, if nature supports, they are hopeful of keeping the highway open for heavy vehicles (4x4 with chains).