Zoji La, often dubbed as the lifeline of India connecting the Union Territory of Ladakh with the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, was thrown open today for commuting after remaining closed for a period of 32 days. The Border Roads organisation cleared the snow from the high-altitude pass in a record-breaking time of 15 days.

The first convoy towards Ladakh was flagged off by Director General BRO Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan. In a press release, the defence spokesperson stated that this year, the pass faced an unusually short but intense closure period due to relentless snowfall caused by a Western Disturbance for 17 days in February and March.

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The sheer volume of accumulated snow posed a formidable challenge to the BRO personnel who cleared the snow from the avalanche-prone terrain. The task was undertaken jointly by BRO’s Project Beacon (Kashmir) and Project Vijayak (Ladakh).

The pass, which is located at an altitude of 11,650 ft, faces temporary closure in severe winter months, owing to snowfall, thus restricting the movement of not only the troops and essential supplies but also the commute of locals.