Before winter weather and the vast amount of snow from avalanches normally shut the Zojila Pass from December to April, this year was the first time that we were able to keep the Zojila Pass open throughout winter due to significant effort in engineering, Transportation logistics, and human determination.
Having withstood winter conditions for six months is an accomplishment never before experienced by a region that has been able to maintain its lifeline (by road) at a time of year when it would normally have been very bleak, due to harsh weather.
For all of the months when the Zojila Pass was closed, life as the people in Kargil and Leh know it was brought to a complete screeching halt. The 300,000 residents relied entirely on the emergency supplies of food and medicines that they had stored.
The extraordinary commitment demonstrated by the Border Roads Organisation and their change in strategy over the course of this winter by keeping the Zojila Pass open throughout this extended winter weather can not be overstated.
The dedicated personnel working with Project Vijayak were able by means of high-tech snow removal equipment, enhanced operational planning, and with determination and a willingness to test nature at her harshest, to accomplish what previously had seemed impossible.
Both the immediate and long-term consequences of this enhanced Link have been significant. Due to the constant movement of vehicles along the route corridor throughout the past year, the uninterrupted supply of essential goods to Kargil (in Jammu & Kashmir) and Ladakh has been able to provide support during the holiday season at Ramadan, which is an especially important time for those being served.
Vegetables, medicines, and other necessary items have been shipped via truck from Kargil to Ladakh on the mountain pass connecting the two regions. The result of these connections is that each family has access to adequate supply of these items and, as a result, the prices of these goods have stabilized.
The increase in the volume of traffic has reduced the dependence on large stockpiling of supplies prior to winter. Now, the required amounts of supplies will be shipped constantly as needed.
