Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 16: The strategic 434-km long Srinagar-Leh highway was thrown open by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in a record time of 68 days.
Director General Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Lt General Rajeev Chaudhary, who spoke to reporters after officially opening the highway, hailed the hard work of BRO officials and men in overcoming the tough challenge of opening the Zojila Pass.
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“It was due to the hard work of BRO officials and men that we were able to throw the pass open in a record number of 68 days. For the past three years, we have been breaking our own records,” he said.
The General said that their efforts would be to make the road through in just two months, “BRO officials and men are fully acclimatized and familiar with the area. No equipment was damaged during the road opening process,” he said.
The DG said the early opening of the Srinagar-Leh highway will help save Rs 7 crore a day for the Government. He also pointed out that “people of Ladakh can come to Srinagar through this road and carry out their economic activities. This road helps to send defence equipment including guns, bullets, and tanks besides troops to Ladakh. Similarly, the early road opening helps give an economic push to the Ladakh region which remains cut off from the rest of the world for six months,” the DG said.
According to Lt General Chaudhary, the locals who work with the BRO are being provided with adequate wages, shelter, and food, as well as warm clothes. “Some people are [working] with us for the past 25 years. We are like a family,” he said.
The DG said the early opening of Zojila and Razdan Passes will facilitate the augmentation of the supply of essential goods and services for the people of Ladakh and Gurez Valley.
Public Relations Officer (Defence) Lt Col Emron Musavi said there has been a strategic requirement of minimising the closure during winter with a renewed focus on infrastructure and augmentation of connectivity to the northern borders.
He said BRO accordingly ensured the pass was kept open for traffic till as late as January 6, creating a new record. “The advantage accrued by keeping the pass open till this late can be assessed by the fact that almost 13,500 vehicles crossed it between the end of November 2022 and January 6, 2023,” Musavi said.
He said dry weather in the first week of February accelerated snow clearance and widening of the road surface was carried out. “Trial convoys of vehicles successfully passed through Zojila on March 16… thereby ensuring it remained closed for only 68 days.”
The PRO said Razdan Pass, which provides the only road connectivity between Gurez and Kashmir, was reopened after 58 days. “Other important Passes at Sadhna, Pharkiyan Gali, and Zamindar Gali have been kept open throughout this winter.”
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