NEW DELHI: Every year around mid-May, a chain of about 1,000 tankers roll out daily for the border regions of Jammu & Kashmir and higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh from supply points of state-run fuel retailers in Punjab and Haryana . In a race against time, these tankers carry thousands of litres of kitchen, motor and jet fuels to fill up storage depots in remote locations of Ladakh in J&K and Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh before the high mountain passes start freezing over by end-October, isolating the areas from the rest of the country for six months.

During those long, harsh winters, the stockpiles created with the help of these tankers fuel life and keep lakhs of defence personnel guarding the borders with Pakistan and China on the move. Senior executives of IndianOil, which is the main supplier, claim the annual stocking exercise as the only such operation currently on globally.

They say the ‘Advance Winter Stocking (AWS)’ to be a bigger operation than the Berlin Airlift in terms of tonnage hauled till date. Months of meticulous planning, co-ordination with several government arms and nimble logistics management due to the fickle weather goes behind the exercise. The success of AWS depends on the young executives manning the remote depots, away from home and family, and the tanker drivers who brave crumbling roads snaking up high mountains, snow and streams to deliver fuel to these remote regions.

“It is difficult to breathe in the thin air. Even with 50% load, tankers struggle to negotiate the passes as engines gasp for oxygen. There are breakdowns. Death lurks behind every hairpin bend. But still we do it as it is a service to the country,” said Kuljit Singh, 54, plying the routes to Leh for the last 17 years.

“I was afraid in the beginning. Not any more. Driving for winter stocking means income for 4-5 months,” said Kuldip Singh , 30, another tanker driver who has been part of winter stocking for 4 years. According to Kuljit though, things are improving. “The tankers are getting better and more powerful. Roads have improved in the last four years. But we are still stranded in case of a breakdown or landslides. There is no mobile service. That’s why at least two tankers always travel together,” Kuljit said.

The tankers take 3 days to reach their destination and immediately turn back after unloading to pick up another consignment. “For these 4-5 months, life becomes a long road for us,” he said.

