SRINAGAR: The Srinagar-Leh Road, the only surface link between Kashmir and the Ladakh region, was formally thrown open for the next six months on Sunday.

Lt. Gen. S.S. Dhillon, General Officer Commanding of 15 Corps, inaugurated the reopening of the national highway, which was closed in November last. Lt.-Gen. Dhillon flagged of an Army convoy carrying essential stores for troops deployed in Ladakh.

The highway, apart from being the lifeline of the Ladakh region, is of immense strategic importance. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been trying to keep the road open for most part of the year.

Lt.-Gen. Dhillon commended the efforts of the BRO. "They have been doing a marvellous job," he said.

The 75-km stretch from Gagangir to Drass, on either side of the Zojila Pass, received heavy snowfall last winter. The road between Gagangir and Machoi was blocked by avalanches, with 40 to 60 feet of snow piled up on it. With nearly four decades of experience in clearing snow in Zojila pass, the BRO's Project Beacon has new snow cutting machines to aid earlier implements. Since the entire road is covered with thick snow, the most difficult task for the BRO is to identify the road alignment after every winter's closure. Reconnaissance parties, with the help of local labourers, perform the job with various navigational aids.

Zojila pass joins the Kashmir valley with the Indus valley through the 438 km long Srinagar-Leh road. This road is also the lifeline for Kargil and Leh districts. The most mountainous part of the road, from Sonamarg (2,740 m) at the foothills of Zojila to Leh (3,510 m), and traversing through Fatula (4,119 m) was constructed by the Project Beacon. The Srinagar-Zojila-Leh Road has recently been declared a national highway (NH-1D) by the Centre. Now, national highway double lane specifications and interlocking concrete block pavements are also planned. In addition, tunnels are also being planned.

The pioneer project of the BRO, Project Beacon, headquartered in Srinagar, was raised on May 18, 1960 for road development in Jammu and Kashmir. In May 1961, clearance of snow at the Zojila pass was attempted for the first time. The Project took over the Jammu-Srinagar Road, now NH-1A, in 1965 and upgraded it by double-laning it.

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