Undeterred by the possibility of contracting coronavirus and harsh weather conditions, the Border Roads Organisation(BRO) on Saturday threw open the Rohtang pass at 13,500 feet near Manali, Himachal Pradesh, for traffic three weeks in advance. This road is the alternate strategic route to Ladakh and the BRO has already opened the Srinagar-Leh road two weeks back thereby connecting the region with the rest of the country.
The Rohtang pass saw Himachal Pradesh agriculture minister Ram Lal Markanda leading a convoy of vehicles carrying essential supplies and approximately 150 farmers to Lahaul and Spiti districts, sources said here. With the opening of the pass, the much-needed essential supplies to fight the pandemic besides reviving agriculture activities will begin in the right earnest in the region.
Giving the details of the measures taken to clear the pass of heavy snow, they said the clearance opening is carried out every year as it remains snow bound for almost six months from mid-November to mid-May thereby cutting off Lahaul and Spiti districts besides Ladakh from the rest of the nation. Ladakh and Lahaul and Spiti districts apart from other regions of Himachal Pradesh are then sustained by air during winter months.
Last year, the Rohtang pass was kept open till December 12. The State Government on April 11 this year approached the BRO to expedite the snow clearance to facilitate return of farmers to start cultivation and movement of essential supplies and relief material to Lahaul Valley in wake of COVID-19.
Following this, the BRO inducted hi-tech machinery from both Manali and Khoksar side, the Army said adding snow blizzards, freezing temperatures and frequent triggering of avalanches at Rahala Fall, Beas Nallah and Rani Nallah delayed the operations but the snow clearance teams kept working round the clock with all COVID-19 precautions.
Meanwhile, the ongoing construction of the 8.8 km long Atal tunnel below the Rohtang pass connecting the nation with Lahaul throughout the year and other parts of the state and Ladakh was also stalled when the lockdown came into force. However, work on all critical activities of Atal Tunnel have commenced with all necessary COVID-19 precautions in place to ensure its completion in September 2020 as planned, official said.
Responsible for constructing and maintaining strategic roads all over the country, the BRO recently completed a bridge in Arunachal Pradesh thereby ensuring all weather logistical support to the troops deployed on the Line of Actual Control(LAC) facing China besides local population. The bridge was constructed despite the lockdown over Subansiri river.
The BRO also managed to clear the 450-km long Srinagar-Leh highway of snow a fortnight back and connected Ladakh with the entire country. The BRO teams had to face the tough challenge of clearing snow reported to be heaviest in the last six decades.
Similarly, the agency managed to construct a permanent bridge on River Ravi in Punjab thereby providing the much-needed relief to farmers in the region. Personnel of the BRO have also collectively contributed Rs One Crore to the PM CARES Fund over and above One Day Salary, they said.