In a dramatic effort unfolding amid towering snow walls and sub-zero temperatures, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is racing against time to reopen the historic Mughal Road in Jammu and Kashmir a crucial lifeline that connects the Kashmir Valley with the Pir Panjal region.
Massive snow blowers roar to life each morning, cutting through layers of compacted snow and ice that have buried the road for weeks. The operation is not merely about clearing a highway; for thousands of residents, it represents the restoration of trade, mobility and access to essential services that have been severely disrupted by winter’s grip.
Stretching from Shopian in the Valley to Bafliaz in Poonch, the Mughal Road reduces travel time between the two regions to about three hours. However, during winter months, heavy snowfall forces its closure, turning what should be a short drive into a two-day journey via Jammu.
The prolonged shutdown this season has left communities isolated. Trade has slowed, supply chains have been strained, and access to healthcare and other services has become more difficult for residents living along the route.
Snow clearance on the Mughal Road typically begins in March or April. This year, however, efforts are underway much earlier following the transfer of maintenance responsibilities to the BRO a move that has raised hopes among locals for an earlier reopening.
“Normally, this road would reopen in May, but since the BRO took over, we hope to complete the task by the end of this month,” said Abdul Majid, a BRO worker engaged in the operation.
The task is anything but easy. At altitudes reaching 11,450 feet at Peer Ki Gali the highest point on the road temperatures plunge several degrees below freezing. Icicles hang from cliffs and trees, and biting winds make even routine work punishing.
Workers begin their day at 7 am when the landscape remains frozen solid. With no shelters along the snowbound stretch, labourers sit directly on the frozen ground during brief lunch breaks before resuming work.
“It is routine for us in such a situation,” said Haroon, another worker. “The only way forward is to clear the snow and restore the road.”
Snow accumulation in some sections has reached heights of up to 20 feet, forming walls that dwarf the snow-cutting machines. In certain north-facing stretches between Hirpora and Dubjan, the surface remains dangerously icy, resembling an ice rink despite partial clearance. While sunlight on south-facing slopes has accelerated melting, large frozen patches continue to pose risks.
Hirpora village, about 12 kilometres from Shopian, currently serves as the last motorable point. Police barricades prevent civilian vehicles from proceeding further due to safety concerns. Even after snow removal reaches Peer Ki Gali, authorities caution that traffic cannot resume until the road surface stabilises and the risk of avalanches subsides.
Officials estimate that while most of the physical snow clearance may be completed within days, full restoration of safe vehicular movement could still take a few weeks.
For residents who have endured months of isolation each winter, the accelerated effort signals change. If successful, the early reopening could boost economic activity, ease supply shortages, and provide a much-needed morale lift to communities on both sides of the Pir Panjal.
As powerful machines carve passage through walls of snow, the operation stands as a reminder of the region’s harsh winters and of the determination required to reconnect lives separated by nature’s formidable barriers.