Srinagar: The strategic Srinagar-Leh National Highway was reopened for traffic on Tuesday after remaining closed for just over a month — a record minimum duration — due to heavy snow accumulation on the Zojila Pass stretch, officials said.
This was the shortest winter closure of the Zojila Pass.
The pass was thrown open by Director General Border Roads Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan.
“Eid was celebrated yesterday (Monday) but today is an Eid for us as this road, which is vital for the people and important strategically for the defence forces, was officially reopened,” Lt Gen Srinivasan told reporters near the Zojila Pass.
He complimented the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel who braved adverse weather conditions in extremely difficult and risky terrain to work on the road’s reopening.
“The BRO personnel worked day and night to make this possible under challenging terrain and weather,” Lt Gen Srinivasan said.
He added, “I am proud to say that, this year, the pass remained closed only for 33 days — the shortest duration ever.”
Located at an elevation of 11,643 feet on the 434-kilometre Srinagar-Leh National Highway, the Zojila Pass serves as the lifeline between the Kashmir valley and Ladakh.
The pass normally closes by November-end every year with the onset of winter, when temperatures dip to sub-zero, and opens by mid-April the following year. Average closure of the pass in previous years had been 135 days.
