Amid avalanche threats, sub-zero temperatures and heavy winds blowing at a speed of 50-60 km per hour, the Beacon snow-cutter operators and labourers are toiling hard to keep Bandipora-Gurez road open this winter.
Gurez valley remains cut-off from rest of the valley and the outside world for winter months due to heavy accumulation of snow at Razdan Pass, Tragbal and Zadkhus area of the Gurez.
On Tuesday when this reporter visited the spot to have the first-hand experience of the snow clearance at Razdan Pass, it was -20 at around 2 pm during day and winds were blowing at a speed of 50-60kmph.
“During the past three months, the road was closed on three occasions due to heavy snowfall. The road was last closed on January 2 after heavy snowfall at Razdan Pass and Tragbal. Since then the road is closed isolating Gurez from the outside world. However, Beacon is making all-out efforts to keep the road open this winter,” said an official.
Traditionally, snow clearance operations would be carried out on the Razdan Pass and Bandipora-Gurez road in the month of March and the 84-km long road would be opened in the month of April every year.
Officer Commanding of 56 RCC Beacon, APS Khaira said that this is first time in history that snow clearance on Bandipora-Gurez road is being carried out in January which is itself an achievement.
He said that snow clearance machines leave a layer of snow on the road to avoid any damage to the road. “The layer is then to be cleared manually for which we have deployed 120 men (beacon labourers) right from Chandaji to Tragbal,” he said.