It is one of the most critical and challenging high-altitude passes in the world, connecting Kashmir valley to Ladakh

The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has reopened the strategic 11,500 feet high Zoji La Pass in record time after remaining closed for vehicular traffic for just 32 days during the winter season.

Director General BRO, Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan, flagged-off the first convoy from the Srinagar side towards Ladakh. Zoji La Pass is one of the most critical and challenging high-altitude passes in the world, connecting Kashmir valley to Ladakh.

This year, the pass faced an unusually short but intense closure period due to relentless snowfall caused by a western disturbance for 17 days — from February 27 to March 16 — a defence spokesperson said.

The sheer volume of accumulated snow posed a formidable challenge. The BRO personnel, working under extreme conditions, battling sub-zero temperatures, high velocity winds and avalanche-prone terrain, cleared the snow within a period of 14 days, from March 17-30.

Referred to as the “mountain pass of blizzards” in local folklore, Zoji La experiences heavy snowfall, forcing its closure during the harsh winter months. This temporary closure impacts not only the movement of troops and essential supplies but also disrupts the daily lives of the local population in Ladakh, which depends on this route for trade, medical support and economic activities.

Due to technological advancements, improved snow-clearance techniques and the relentless efforts of BRO, this closure period has been drastically reduced from about six months a few decades ago to a few weeks now.

A 14 km long two-way tunnel is also being constructed under the pass, which will reduce the time to cross the Zoji La from over three hours to just 15 minutes. When completed, it will be the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia in high altitude area.