Stranded on J-K highway, 400 airlifted by IAF

‘‘I would have been the worst way to die — alone, in freezing cold.’’ Sanjeev Mahajan, a Amritsar-based businessman...

‘‘I would have been the worst way to die — alone, in freezing cold.’’ Sanjeev Mahajan, a Amritsar-based businessman repeats it thrice, before he gathers more words. He rubs his hands, then his forehead, as if to make sure he is alive. ‘‘I thought I would be dead in two hours,’’ says the 35-year-old, who was stranded near Banihal on the J&K National Highway since last Sunday.

Wearing a thin grey sweater, and a tired look, Mahajan is one among the 400 lucky civilians, who were airlifted from Banihal, and Ramsoo on Sunday. The Air Force rescue operation at Banihal-Ramsoo stretch had been disrupted for the past four days due to the unforgiving weather, but it finally took-off today.

Devinder Mohan Anand also counts his luck and breaks down in between recollections of the last 10 days. Anand, a businessman from New Delhi, was travelling in the State Road Transport Corporation bus to Srinagar 10 days ago, but was stalled at Ramban, and then at Banihal on Sunday. ‘‘The bus returned to Jammu, and even my luggage was left behind in it,’’ he says, adding for the past 10 days, he survived the cold without a blanket or warm clothes. Anand alleged that the lighter vehicles were being allowed to go ahead after paying Rs 100 but the heavier ones like buses and trucks were not allowed to even move an inch.

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The survivors were lucky, for the Rashtriya Rifles unit had set up kitchens, and the people around had opened their houses.

Today, it took three IAF choppers, stationed at Chanderkot, 65 km from Banihal, and 30 sorties to finish the rescue operation. There was more relief as the Jammu-Srinagar highway was also partially reopened for vehicular traffic.