Srinagar-Leh NH to be connected within 2 days, to reopen in a week

Ganderbal, Mar 19: The strategic Srinagar-Leh National Highway connecting Jammu and Kashmir with Ladakh would be connected within two days and the highway is likely to reopen for traffic movement in a week, officials said Tuesday.

The Srinagar-Leh National Highway was closed on February 20 after a heavy spell of snowfall along Zojila Pass and other higher reaches.

Following the improvement in the weather, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) last week started the snow clearance work on the Zojila Pass of the Srinagar-Leh National Highway that connects J&K with Ladakh.

Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, Muhammad Jaffer Akhoon visited Zojila Pass to inspect the work of snow clearance on Zojila Pass and found that significant progress has been achieved in road clearance.

The CEC applauded the dedication and efforts of Project Vijayak in particular and Project Beacon for road clearance.

"The dedicated BRO team, including Project Vijayak, is working tirelessly. It is expected to have the pass connected in two days, enabling the road to be motorable within a week,” he said.

Akhoon said that given the ongoing holy month of Ramadhan and to ensure fresh supply of essential commodities besides ensuring travel of passengers across the highway, the efforts are to reopen the Srinagar-Leh highway.

Project Beacon of the BRO is responsible for the maintenance and clearance of the road up to zero point near Zojilla from the Sonamarg side while Project Vijayak of the BRO clears the road from the Drass side.

An official of the 122 RCC Project Beacon said that the snow clearance had been started and they were hopeful that within the next few days, if the weather conditions remain favourable, the road will be connected.

He said that there were multiple avalanches at various places where the snow height was above 15 feet and more.

An official of Project Vijayak said that they had almost connected the road up to zero point Zojila from the Drass side and further clearance and sideways were going on. The Srinagar-Leh National Highway was closed due to heavy snowfall in the last week of February.