The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has set a record by keeping the formidable, 11,649 foot-high Zojila Pass open beyond 31st December. Zoji La links the Union Territory of Ladakh with Kashmir.
The BRO achieved this feat through its task forces: Project Vijayak and Project Beacon. These task forces are responsible for maintaining the road axis that has major implications relating to the defence of Ladakh and the socio-economic well-being of its populace.
Last year the pass was kept open till 31st December 2020. This year, the BRO bettered that record by reorganising and adding more snow clearance detachments and augmenting them with the state-of-the-art snow clearance equipment..
Keeping the pass open for longer reduces the logistic burden on the Ladakh Union Territory’s administration by reducing the need to stock larger amounts of rations and supplies for the harsh winter season.
In the first three days of 2022, about 178 vehicles have been able to transit through the Zoji La pass, assisted by the BRO and the J&K Police. This is laudable because, with the temperatures plummeting to as low as minus 20 degrees centigrade, the road is subject to extreme frosting with blizzard-like conditions. Besides snow clearance, the axis is subjected to maintenance on a daily basis to keep it road-worthy.
It was closed the next week!
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