After being shutdown for 10 days due to heavy snowfall and avalanches at Zojila Pass, the vital Srinagar-Leh highway has reopened for stranded passenger vehicles.
The reopening of this 434 km strategic road on Sunday brings relief to travelers and residents of Ladakh who were cut off from the valley.
The closure was necessitated by adverse weather conditions and multiple avalanches in the high-altitude areas including, Zojila Pass’s Daniyan, Pani Matha.
According to official sources, the initial reopening is limited to passenger vehicles, specifically those that were stranded during the closure. Heavy vehicles and other traffic will be allowed to ply the route after further assessments and clearances by civil and police authorities.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for maintaining the highway, undertook a massive operation to clear snow and debris simultaneously from Drass (in Kargil) and Sonamarg (in the valley) to facilitate the reopening.
The Srinagar-Leh highway serves as a crucial lifeline for the Ladakh region, providing the only surface link to the rest of the UT J&K. Its closure often isolates areas like Kargil, which experience heavy snowfall and are heavily reliant on this route for connectivity with the Kashmir Valley.
The reopening of the highway is expected to restore essential transportation and trade links, bringing much-needed relief to the region’s residents and businesses affected by the extended closure. As weather conditions continue to stabilize, authorities are working to ensure the safe movement of all traffic along this vital artery.
