The India-China conflict in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh has brought to the fore the challenges faced by our troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control. I am reminded of my own ‘lockdown’ at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in 1985. There was no road up to DBO at that time, and the only source of access was an old airstrip lying virtually abandoned after its use in the 1962 War. The supplies for our troops used to be managed through mules or by air-dropping in the DBO area. Fairchild Packet aircraft were used to carry out logistics sorties. Fortunately, now there is a fairly well-maintained airstrip, which has put us in a strong position in the Karakoram area.
I was commanding a field company of engineers operating in the Siachen Glacier area under Operation Meghdoot at Thoise. Our brigade commander, Brig Jal Master, called me to his office and told me that a special Cheetah helicopter had been arranged for going to DBO, and that I had to go there urgently for carrying out a recce of the abandoned airstrip and to reactivate it fast. The next day, I took off in a helicopter from Thoise. We followed the old Hindustan-Tibet Silk Route, which was visible from the air. DBO is located on that ancient route, about 16 km from the Karakoram Pass.
We could see the carcasses of perished animals along that route. After about 45 minutes, we landed there. I was dropped along with my haversack and the pilot flew back to Thoise as there were no refuelling facilities available at DBO. I carried out the recce of the advanced landing ground (ALG) the very next day. It was a gravel-type airstrip, situated at an altitude of 16,700 ft.
But when I had completed my assignment and was waiting for the helicopter, the weather suddenly turned very bad. The temperature was below minus 30 degrees and the wind velocity was around 150 km per hour. The arrival of the helicopter was ruled out. I was stranded in a semi-underground bunker for 28 days. In freezing weather, in a land without trees or grass and no human around, it was the kerosene bukhari that kept me warm. My family was worried until my unit informed them about my safety. It was quite an experience. Guarding our frontier against a formidable enemy in such abnormal conditions is not easy. We must salute our soldiers for the courage they bring to their task.