Azhar Qadri
Tribune News Service
Drass (Kargil), July 25

The desolate highway town of Drass, which made headlines during the 1999 Kargil war and is home to some of the well-known battle sites like Tiger Hill and Tololing, is witnessing small but significant changes of modernity.

For the first time, this frontier town is receiving round-the-clock electricity and mobile Internet services. The road connectivity has improved and a college is also being constructed.

It is a remarkable progress for Drass, which had remained cloaked in isolation due to geographic and climatic limitations. Located at an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet and also distinct for being the second coldest inhabited place on earth, Drass remains cut off from Kashmir valley for around six months every year. The shutdown of the highway for half a year means dormancy as regards economic activity. The war of 1999, however, brought Drass on the map of tourism. The hills surrounding the town, which were battlefields during the war, are now attracting tourists and veterans.

As the 20th anniversary of the war is being celebrated by the Army, which is holding all main events in Drass, the town is bustling with activity and its hotels are fully packed.

“Lots of tourists now stop at Drass and visit the places,” a motel owner said in Drass. “There is a huge potential for this place, but it needs proper connectivity,” he said.

It all can change once the Zojilla tunnel, which will be a major construction marvel that will ease the travel between Kashmir valley and Drass town, is completed.

The highway town also receives war veterans. Major DP Singh (retd), Kargil war veteran famously known as Indian Blade Runner who has run marathons despite being an amputee, is on a visit to Drass to mark the war’s anniversary. He visited the Kargil war memorial, which has become a must stopover for tourists on way to Leh and for veterans who pay their homage.

“The flag flutters so beautifully not just because the wind blows, but also because someone secured the area to let this happen by sacrificing their lives,” the former officer wrote on Twitter yesterday