The 38-km road between Bhaderwah and Chattergala Pass was buried under 5-6 feet of snow following heavy snowfall on January 23.
Braving sub-zero temperatures at an altitude of 10,500 feet, personnel of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) carried out a nearly 40-hour road clearance operation and rescued 60 people, including 40 Army personnel, who were stranded at the Chattergala Pass along the Bhaderwah-Chamba road in Jammu and Kashmir’s hilly Doda district.
A day before that, 10 Army soldiers were killed and 11 others injured in the area when their bulletproof vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge at Khanni Top at an altitude of 9,000 feet along the Bhaderwah-Chamba road.
The 118 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the 35 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) commenced snow-clearance operation in the morning on January 24 and continued working for nearly 40 hours, said Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt Colonel Suneel Bartwal.
“The route was opened by January 25 evening, enabling the safe evacuation of 20 stranded civilians and 40 troops of 4 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) along with weapons and stores,” he said.
The rescue mission concluded at around 2.30 am on January 26 with zero casualties, “underscoring the professionalism and dedication of BRO personnel operating in challenging high-altitude terrain and extreme weather conditions,” the spokesperson said, adding that the operation was executed in close coordination with the Army, ensuring swift relief and the restoration of critical communication links in the region.
Explaining that the weather can turn fatal within minutes at 10,500 feet, officials said that members of the BRO rescue team worked in shifts 24×7 to cut through the five-foot wall of snow and reach the stranded soldiers and civilians. “For us, the motto ‘Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam’ (Everything is achievable through hard work) is not just a slogan, but a command,” a senior BRO officer said.
While the stranded Army personnel had been coming towards Bhaderwah, some of the civilians were on their way to Kathua district’s Bani area.
“We had lost all hope as the temperature was dipping rapidly and our vehicles were buried under snow,” one of the civilians said, expressing his relief when the BRO men appeared. They not only cleared the road, but also provided the stranded people with hot tea and moral support, he said.
The clearance of the road was crucial not just for the rescue of those stranded, but also for the maintenance of supplies to areas as Chattergala Pass falls on the boundary of Doda and Kathua districts.
The area has also been used by terrorists entering Kathua district from across the International Border and proceeding to the dense mountainous forests of the adjoining Doda and Udhampur districts.
Meanwhile, in another operation, BRO personnel worked for 14 hours to restore an important road in the border district of Rajouri. The Rajouri-Kandi-Budhal road had been blocked following an unprecedented and sudden spell of heavy snowfall on Monday, officials said, adding that BRO undertook immediate and sustained snow clearance operations to restore vital road connectivity in the region.
The snowfall, measuring up to three feet, had disrupted movement along a critical stretch of road in the Pir Panjal area, cutting a major portion of the Kotranka sub-division from Rajouri town. The intense and heavy snowfall had disrupted the movement of military personnel and civilians, including medical emergency cases, officials said.
The swift response ensured the resumption of traffic within 14 hours, including the movement of emergency and essential services, officials said. Clearance and widening operations continued relentlessly, and the road was further widened to facilitate safer and smoother movement. A total stretch of approximately 35 kilometres was cleared and restored within 24 hours, they said.
Curated by James Chen
