ITBP, a string of lifeline for 1.5 lakh Kargil residents

By Rajnish Singh

New Delhi, May 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) As the nationwide lockdown entered the 48th day on Monday, the Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has ensured a lifeline for over 1.5 lakh residents of Kargil by giving safe passage to over 900 trucks carrying essential supplies.

The supply goes through the icy heights of Zoji La, the highest mountain pass in the Union Territory of Ladakh at 11,575 feet, which connects the Kashmir Valley with the frozen slopes of Kargil villages situated at a height between 8,780 feet and 17,000 feet.

For the past 21 days, with the opening of roads on April 20-21, the ITBP has been facilitating the movement of these supply trucks, risking their lives only to protect those stuck inside their homes amid the nationwide lockdown imposed by the Centre to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ITBP has been assigned the vital responsibility of escorting goods trucks and fuel tankers carrying essential supplies for those staying in the far-flung areas of Ladakh.

"The land route through Zoji La pass serves as a lifeline for the nearly 1.5 lakh residents of Kargil. With the opening of roads, we are escorting these essential supply trucks and oil tankers as per the request of the Ladakh government," ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey told IANS.

"We have deployed our personnel to man the trucks passing through the icy land road. Our northwestern frontier personnel played a very important role in facilitating the movement of 900 trucks which passed during the last 21 days," Pandey added.

The Leh based North-West frontier of the ITBP played a pivotal role in the passage of the supply trucks with the active support of the Ladakh administration, Pandey said, adding that the drivers and other staff are screened at various checkpoints by the ITBP personnel and social distancing is followed in all such processes.

"The trucks had to face difficulties in moving as their parts were touching many narrow points. There were many avalanche points. We manned the whole road and made arrangements to handle the seasonal canals. We also provided help to the drivers," Pandey said.

Trucks carrying food and other items are reaching Kargil covering a distance of 100 km in about eight hours under security cover provided by the ITBP, a 90,000 strong force mandated to border guarding duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh, covering 3,488 km of India-China border and manning border outposts on altitudes ranging from 9,000 feet to 18,700 feet in the western, middle and eastern sectors of the India-China border.

The convoys move through Gumri, Meena Marg and Dras via Fotu La pass and Namika La pass in extreme cold climatic conditions, with temperatures dipping to minus 10 degree Celsius, the official said.

Pandey said that the Ladakh government wanted the intervention of the ITBP in managing the movement of these trucks through the land route, which is the main source of sustenance for the Kargil residents who are locked inside their homes due to the nationwide lockdown that is in place to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

"There is a complete ban on assembly of three or more persons for any reason, and complete shutdown of non-essential shops and business establishments, educational institutions, markets and Anganwadi centres," an UT administration official told IANS.

As essential services and supply chains to maintain the essential services were exempted from the purview of the shutdown, the movement of trucks carrying grains and other materials is a life saving exercise which is being facilitated by the ITBP.

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)

Source: IANS