Srinagar, April 7
When the strategic 434-km Srinagar-Leh National Highway was thrown open to traffic after nearly four months on Saturday, Tulla Khan, driver of the snow-cutter machine, seemed most happy.

Nicknamed ‘the path tracer’, Khan — who was part of the eight- member team of drivers that cleared the snow up to Zojila from Sonamarg — knows the road alignment up to the pass like the back of his hand. Though deaf and dumb, Khan’s ability to precisely trace the road buried under the snow makes him an asset for the Border Road Organisation (BRO).

“He knows the precise alignment of the road even if it is buried under 50 feet snow. At times, he is even better than machines,” said a BRO engineer.

For 25 years, Khan, a resident of Nilgiri Sonamarg, has been busy clearing the snow on the road from Gangangir in Sonmarg to Zero Point at Zojila.

Zojila is the fourth highest pass in the country and is the gateway to the Ladakh region. Apart from the harsh weather conditions, the pass is located in a treacherous and accident-prone mountain range. “Khan and other drivers are unsung heroes. Without their efforts, it would be really difficult to clear the snow on this dangerous highway,” said an official.

“The job of snow clearance is very tough at Zojila. We have to brave all odds as the minimum temperature goes down to minus 28 degrees Celsius,’ said Mushtaq Ahmed, Khan’s colleague.

Chief Engineer of Beacon Brig RK Sharma said: “Though we have machines for the job, it’s the men manning these machines who matter the most. The entire road remains covered with thick snow and the most difficult task is to identify the road alignment,” Sharma said.

While these heroes of Zojila do one of the toughest jobs, their remuneration is a meager Rs 6,500 per month.