BRO reopens Srinagar-Leh Highway after 2 weeks of closure

Ganderbal, Mar 29: After remaining closed for about two weeks for traffic movement following the heavy snowfall, the Zojila pass along Srinagar-Leh highway was connected again on Saturday by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers.

Zojila, which falls on Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road, is located at an elevation of 11,643 feet and serves as the lifeline between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh.  An official said that the BRO had pressed its men and machinery into work for snow clearance on the highway which was completed on Saturday. They said that the machinery was pressed into work for snow clearance on the Zojilla pass which experiences over 10 feet of snow.

He said that there are multiple snow avalanches at various places where the snow height is above 15 ft and more. The road earlier was closed as a precautionary measure and the road clearance work was started this week early with the improvement in weather.

"The dedicated BRO team, including project Vijayak,and project Beacon worked tirelessly and ensured that the Zojila pass is connected again, enabling the road to be motorable likely within a couple of days " SDM Drass Vishal Atri, who was since last two days monitoring the snow clearance work at Zojila pass told Greater Kashmir. SDM said that the decision to allow traffic on the highway will be taken after proper road assessment and green signal from the BRO.

CEC LAHDC Kargil, Dr Mohd Jaffer Akhoon said that in view of the ongoing holy month of Ramadhan and upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr and to ensure fresh supply of essential commodities besides to ensure the travel of passengers across the highway the focus was to reopen the Srinagar-Leh highway for traffic movement.
Notably, Project Beacon of the Border Road Organization (BRO) is responsible for maintenance and clearance of the road up to zero point near Zojila from Sonamarg side, while the Vijayak of the BRO clears the road from the Drass side. The strategic Zojila pass on the Srinagar-Leh national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the Ladakh region, has remained open through the maximum period of time till February end. BRO ‘Karmyogis’, with their relentless effort under ‘Project Vijayak and Beacon’, facilitated connectivity to Ladakh region by ensuring that the Zojila pass remained open despite heavy snowfall, the official said.