learnt about the tremendous decline in wildlife sightings since the 1999 Kargil war, so much so that even the common resident birds had disappeared." Birds Besides the endangered species, various birds are commonly seen in summer: Black-necked Eurasian magpie house sparrow hoopoe rosefinches red-billed choughs eastern chiffchaff common sandpiper European goldfinches. Gallery Transportation National Highway 1D, connecting Srinagar to Leh, passes through Kargil. This highway is typically open for traffic only from May to December due to heavy snowfall at the Zoji La. Kargil is from the capital city of Srinagar. There is a partially paved road leading from Kargil south to Zanskar, which is also only open only from June to September. The total distance to Zanskar is nearly . India and Pakistan have both considered linking the Pakistani town of Skardu to Kargil with a bus route to reunite the Ladakh families separated by the line of control since 1972. Road Kargil is connected to the rest of India by one high-altitude road which is subject to landslides and is impassable in winter due to deep snows. The National Highway 1D connects Kargil to Srinagar. The NH 301 connects Kargil with the remote Zanskar region. Upgradation of this road is going on to reduce the time travel between Kargil and Padum, tehsil headquarters of Zanskar region. Nimmu–Padam–Darcha road This is the third road axis to Leh through Zanskar in Kargil district. It is currently under construction. Air Kargil Airport is a non-operational airport used only for defence purposes by the Indian Air Force. Kargil Airport has been included under Central Govt.'s UDAN scheme for commercial operations. The nearest operational airport is Leh's Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport which is located 215 kilometres from Kargil. Rail There is no railway service currently in Ladakh, however, 2 railway routes are proposed- the Bhanupli–Leh line and Srinagar–Kargil–Leh line. See also List of districts of Ladakh Geography of Ladakh Tourism in Ladakh Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil Notes References Bibliography Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar. Kargil: Its social, culture, and economic history. Kargil : The Important Trade Transit of Yesteryears, People & Society Shireen M. Mazari, The Kargil Conflict, 1999: Separating Fact from Fiction, The Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (2003) External links Rivers of Kargil district on OpenStreetMap: Dras, Suru and Kartse, Wakha, Zanskar Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil Kargil Tehsil Map, MapsofIndia.com "Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma", BBC Kargil War 1999, Rediff