Mohsin Altaf
Srinagar 19 February (KNB): Chief Engineer Beacon Brigadier I.K. Jaggi on Saturday said that barring any major snowfall, Ladakh’s surface connectivity with Kashmir would be restored soon after clearing the snow, helping to connect with Zoji-La pass by second to third week of March 2022.
Jaggi, as per KNB, said that the road from Sonamarg to Baltal was cleared around 5th February of this year and after that the snow clearance of the road ahead Baltal was taken up.
He further said that the snow clearance operation was started around 15 days and added that the road from Gagangeer to Sonamarg was fully open this year after acting on the directions of the civil administration.
Jaggi also said that while clearing the snow they have to keep service safety measures in mind given the avalanche prone areas on the way. “Hopefully if weather remains good with no major snowfall to occur then most likely by second to third week of March we would be able to connect with Zoji-La pass, helping in restoring the connectivity with Ladakh,”
He said that restoring the ZojiLa axis is paramount in order to provide logistic support to the deployment in Ladakh and at the same time is important for civil administration as well.
While talking about the challenges being faced by them in clearing the snow, Jaggi cited the reasons of low temperature and gusty winds, which sometimes result in creating hindrance for them. (KNB)