''Ladakh's lifeline'' Srinagar-Leh highway opens

Srinagar: The Srinagar-Leh highway, that links the Ladakh region to the rest of the country, has been opened for vehicular traffic after five months.

Working against the odds in a tough terrain, the Border Roads Organisation was successful in clearing the snow-blocked roads to open the highway.

The BRO is assigned with the task of clearing the snow-bound stretch across the 11,578-foot high Zojila pass, which lies on the lower depression of the Himalayan range, along the 434 kilometre Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway. 

The highway had earlier been closed for traffic after the Zojila pass had experienced heavy snowfall and avalanches over the past five months.