Pak steps up attack on Kargil lifeline

The continued intense shelling of the NH 1-A 8212; rendering it almost unusable 8212; had forced the Army to use other routes to carry ammunition and other reinforcements for the troops engaged in battling the infiltrators.

Pakistan, it seems, is working to a well thought out strategy. 8220;First they destroyed our ammunition dumps in Kargil on May 9, causing a loss of over Rs 170 crore. Then they started heavy shelling of the NH 1-A, trying to ensure that reinforcements couldn8217;t be rushed there. And now they are thwarting our efforts to construct a 65-km bypassfrom Drass to Shanku,8221; the official added.

Work on the road was in full swing when Pakistan started pounding the Border Roads Organisation BRO office in Kargil, completely destroying the heavy machinery, including road rollers, tractors, and other building material. The 3-km stretch around the BRO office was reduced to rubble in nine days of continuous targeted shelling. The charred and burnt machinery and the wasted material were all lying at Khurbatang plateau. The BRO was forced to shift its office 35 km away from Kargil.

The shelling on the NH 1-A was maximum on the stretch of Drass, Chinnigund and Kharboo and its intensity was at its peak between 1.30 pm and 4.30 pm. At that time, the Army was forced to use a 12-km diversion for the movement of troops and weapons. This road, though not metalled, was said to be 8220;jeepable8221;.

Sources said the alternative route was more or less safe, except at Tulung heights near Drass, which are still controlled by the infiltrators. 8220;Once that is cleared, theroad will be entirely safe from shelling,8221; an Army official said.

The Army had also undertaken construction of an emergency bridge to bring ammunition from Srinagar to Kargil. The building material for roads was being brought from Leh by the BRO.