Even helicopter landings are dangerous here but soldiers built their own monorail

The Indian Army’s Gajraj Corps used a brilliant idea to alleviate the difficulties faced by soldiers deployed in high-altitude, dangerous, rugged, and snow-covered mountainous terrain, especially in transporting heavy loads. Engineers and soldiers from the Gajraj Corps built and commissioned the monorail at an altitude of 16,000 feet above sea level. This multi-functional “transport system” is proving effective in transporting goods and people to locations where even helicopters cannot land.

This work was carried out by the Indian Army’s IV Corps, headquartered in Tezpur (Assam) , known as the Gajraj Corps. Many high-altitude and remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh ,  which  neither have  roads nor conventional vehicle access, fall under the jurisdiction of Gajraj Corps.  Narrow mountain paths, stone shooting, sudden weather changes, and low oxygen levels pose big  challenges for soldiers. One such location is the Kameng sector on the India-China border. Here, soldiers often have to travel long distances carrying heavy loads on their backs, which is both energy-consuming and time-consuming, and highly risky too. But now, the soldiers themselves have changed this situation.

The engineers and soldiers of the Gajraj Corps have transformed the field  into laboratories and workshops. Through ingenuity and hard work, they solved a problem that had been troubling them for years. Some might even call it a JUGAAD (working arrangement).

They placed tracks on pillars erected very close together, slightly elevated above the ground level on an uneven path. They assembled a fuel-powered vehicle capable of reaching its destination in all weather conditions, day or night. Even snowfall is no obstacle.

Gajraj Corps , while sharing the information , has released photos and videos of the monorail on its  social media account at X. This system can carry up to 300 kilograms at a time. In case of an emergency, an injured or sick person can even be transported lying on it.

Appreciating the work done by its men the Gajraj Corps wrote in its post, ” This improvised logistics solution will boost operational logistics, transportation of operational essentials facilitating efficient logistics over an extremely rugged and challenging high altitude terrain — a true testament to innovation and adaptability in challenging conditions.”

Gajraj Corps:
Gajraj Corps (IV Corps) of the Indian Army was raised in 1942 during British rule to defend Assam but was disbanded within three years. Its headquarters is in Tezpur, Assam. The IV Corps was reconstituted in 1962 just days before the 1962 India-China war.

The Gajraj Corps has a distinguished history. Lieutenant General Brij Mohan Kaul was its first General Officer Commanding (GOC), serving for barely three months. He was succeeded by Lieutenant General Manekshaw, who commanded it for nearly a year. He later became the Chief of Army Staff and was elevated to the rank of Field Marshal. The Gajraj Corps has played a key role in numerous wars and various military operations, including counter-infiltration operations.