ITANAGAR: The picturesque Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road has turned into a winter nightmare as heavy snowfall near Sela Pass leaves around 30 trucks and passenger vehicles stranded.
Truck drivers, grappling with the aftermath of the snowfall, lamented that they have been stranded on the road for the past three days and the situation is compounded by a shortage of food and drinking water for those stranded.
Amidst the white expanse, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) laborers have become the lifeline for the stranded, providing essential supplies to endure the harsh conditions.
The gravity of the situation prompted the Tawang district administration to issue a traffic advisory on February 2, aiming to regulate the movement of traffic and ease the congestion caused by continuous snowfall in the Sela Pass area.
As per the advisory, traffic movement on the BCT road from the police check gate in Jang (Tawang) towards Sela Pass shall be allowed on alternate dates starting from 5, 7, 9, and 11 February, continuing accordingly.
Similarly, traffic from West Kameng district will be permitted to enter the jurisdiction of Tawang district on alternate days, starting from 6, 8, 10, and 12 February.
Emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, power, and water supply vehicles will be exempted from these restrictions, subject to weather and road conditions.
The advisory underlines the challenges posed by continuous snowfall, leading to heavy accumulation on the BCT road from Jaswant Garh (Tawang) to Baisakhi in West Kameng district. Traffic jams have become a recurrent issue, exacerbating the already stressed-out road conditions.
The administration also issued a stern caution, stressing that any violation of the advisory will result in prosecution as per the law.
The advisory will remain in force until further orders, highlighting the dire situation on this critical road stretch.
