500-m left, Sach Pass to Pangi to open in 3 days

Naresh Thakur

Chamba, June 6

The Sach Pass, which connects the tribal Pangi valley with the district headquarters of Chamba, would likely open by the end of this week as the snow-clearing operation by the Public Works Department (PWD) on the Chamba-Sach-Killar road nears completion.

Clears in 2 months

• The route is officially closed in mid-October, when it starts snowing in higher reaches. The road remains closed during the winter season and snow clearing operation begins in April, when the weather is favourable
• It takes about two months for the PWD workforce to cut through the glaciers and clear the snow. Last year, the route was reopened on July 3

The PWD workforce has made significant progress in reopening the treacherous road despite the challenging conditions like low temperatures and fickle weather.

The road is expected to be operational for small vehicles within the next three days, with about 500-m stretch left to be cleared.

The PWD officials had successfully cleared the Sach Pass top from the Chamba-Bairagarh side and were now moving towards Bhutground on the Pangi side.

Meanwhile, the machinery from the Killar side has advanced upwards from Bhutground. Around 500-600-m of snow still needs to be removed. Initially, the PWD aimed to reopen the road by June 15.

However, if the snow-clearance operation continued at this pace, it would be reopened a week earlier. The department plans to have vehicles running on the road by late Saturday evening, if the weather remains conducive.

The Sach Pass is situated at an elevation of around 14,500 ft, where temperatures remain below freezing point even during the summer season. The workers are facing severe cold and low oxygen levels, making the task arduous.

“Vehicles are expected to start traversing the Chamba-Bairagarh-Sach Pass-Killar route soon as the PWD team has already cleared the road from Churah to the Sach Pass. However, a malfunctioning machine has slowed down the progress,” said a PWD official.

The PWD has deployed several machines, with a team of 24 employees working tirelessly, to clear the road. Last year, the route was reopened on July 3.

When the Pass is closed, residents of the tribal Pangi valley travel 650-700 km via Jammu and Kashmir or Lahaul and Spiti to reach the district headquarters. However, the distance from Chamba to Killar via the Sach Pass is 172 km.

The route is officially closed in mid-October, when it starts snowing in higher reaches. The road remains closed during the winter season and snow-clearing operation begins in April, when the weather is favourable. It takes about two months for the PWD workforce to cut through the glaciers and clear the snow.