Srinagar, March 29 -- The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had managed to keep the Zoji La Pass open all winter due to relatively low snowfall. However, operations were impacted after Friday's avalanche at Dayal Slide, which claimed seven lives. Chief executive officer, Kargil Hill Development Council, however, termed the avalanche an unfortunate accident, noting that it can happen anywhere in the mountains. Seven people were killed and five were injured after a major avalanche struck their vehicles on Friday. The Srinagar-Leh highway is closed until the slopes stabilise, the rescue operation concluded this morning. The rescue operation concluded Saturday morning with the recovery of one more body. Meanwhile, locals say that proper planning could have avoided this tragedy. This year Zoji La Pass remained open for more time compared to previous years. Usually the pass used to be shut in December or November. "The government should have taken every aspect in consideration before keeping the road open. This tragedy could have been avoided by triggering avalanches in controlled atmosphere if keeping the road open was necessary as long portions of this road are avalanche prone," said Ghulam Nabi, a frequent traveller on the road. "Earlier this road used to open either in end of April or first week of May. This year the road remained closed for just few days. As there is snow in the area, the government should be alert to avoid similar tragedies in future," he said. Last month, Border Road Organisation (BRO) had informed that they managed to keep this road open beyond February 28 this year. "For the first time ever, Zojila Pass has remained open beyond February 28 and continues to stay operational despite very heavy snowfall, testament to the relentless commitment of #BRO in keeping the lifeline between Ladakh and the Kashmir valley open," the BRO wrote on X. Usually the road remains shut for five months. Chief executive officer, Kargil Hill Development Council Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon termed the Srinagar Kargil road a lifeline for people of Kargil and Ladakh. "This year highway remained open through out the year. From last two years the highway is getting shut just for one month. Now we have facilities and machines which keep the road open. The opening of this highway has nothing to do with road closure, accidents do happen at places and this was an unfortunate tragedy."...