The Border Roads Organisation has started work to open the Baralachala pass

Braving snow blizzards at 16,000 feet, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) trekked 20 kilometres to open a key pass connecting Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh. The BRO team trekked through 15 to 20 feet of snow in a bid to open the Baralacha La Pass that connects Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh to Leh before schedule.

The team finally managed to start the work after reaching the site on March 14 after several earlier attempts failed due to harsh weather.

“A slight window was available on March 13 and the team again attempted crossing Baralachala. This time they succeeded in crossing Baralachala, crossing number of avalanches en route,” an official statement said. The team spent the night in snow amid bone-chilling temperature and snow blizzards.


“The team has traversed a total distance of 20 km in super-high altitude conditions, scrupulously crossing the Baralacha LA pass on foot amidst sub-zero freezing conditions, frequent avalanches and slides with 15 to 20 feet snow accumulation,” the statement said.

“Finally they reached their destination on 14th March after treacherous March of 20 km in 15-20 feet of snow.”

Connectivity to Ladakh is crucial amid the ongoing tension with China in Eastern Ladakh. Even though an initial disengagement has happened at Pangong Lake, other friction points need to be resolved. Also, there has been no reduction of troops and enhanced deployment at the frontline continues.

The early commencement of work to open the crucial pass before the scheduled date is expected to provide strategic advantage to India over adversaries, according to the statement.
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Earlier the BRO had opened the Zoji La (pass) connecting Srinagar to Leh ahead of schedule and ensured connectivity to forward locations.

Lt General Rajeev Chaudhry, DG, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) stated that this is the first time a team has been sent to open the pass before schedule.

“This feat has been achieved for the first time and hopefully Baralachala will be opened before time surpassing all intangible odds,” BRO said.