The Indian government has gone into overdrive to fortify the Siliguri Corridor (aka the Chicken’s Neck) and the contiguous northeastern region that borders four countries.

The Siliguri Corridor is a 22-km-wide sliver of territory in West Bengal, connecting the northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim to the rest of India. The narrow strip has Nepal and Bhutan to its north, Bangladesh to its south and also lies in close proximity to China.

All land trade between the northeastern states and the rest of India passes through the Chicken’s Neck, and any blockade of this narrow corridor will sever India’s restive and economically underdeveloped Northeast from the rest of the country.

This also explains why the Indian government has been seriously exploring options to provide an alternate outlet for the landlocked region through Bangladesh and Myanmar.

China has claimed 90,000 square km of land in India’s Northeast. In 1962, Chinese troops invaded Arunachal Pradesh in a brief month-long war. In 1986, the two countries again clashed at the Somdorong Chu valley in Arunachal, which dragged on for several months.

The Indian government’s recent decision to strengthen its defenses at the Siliguri Corridor appears to have been prompted by a series of developments in China and Bangladesh in recent years. One was the India-China military standoff at Doklam in the summer of 2017, when Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a two-month stand-off following an increased Chinese military presence in Doklam or Donglang. China had erected helipads and trenches in the region, which lies in the trijunction between India, Bhutan and China.

Then the pro-India Awami League government in Bangladesh was ousted in August 2024 and was replaced by an interim administration under Muhammad Yunus, whose foreign policy tilted toward China and Pakistan. In addition to overtures to draw Chinese investments into Bangladesh, the Yunus administration was reported to be renovating an old airfield at Lalmonirhat in the country near India’s Chicken’s Neck. It raised India’s concerns about the security of the strategically vital corridor.

These developments prompted New Delhi to approve projects to secure the Siliguri Corridor.

Topping the list in terms of strategic importance among the recently approved projects is the country’s first underwater twin-tube road-cum-rail tunnel project that will be built under the Brahmaputra river in Assam. The 33.7-km-long, four-lane, access-controlled project will include a 15.79-km twin-tube tunnel under the Brahmaputra and will connect Gohpur on the river’s north bank with Numaligarh on the south bank.

The project is expected to augment the efficiency of freight movement, reduce logistics costs, and fuel socio-economic growth in the region. It will play a key role in strategic considerations, strengthen connectivity between major economic centers and open new avenues for trade and industrial development.

Another similar venture is the Indian Railways’ plan to construct a new underground railway line through Chicken’s Neck, which Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said would ensure “secure, reliable and uninterrupted” rail connectivity in the strategically sensitive corridor.

The 35.76-km-long underground railway line will run between Dumdangi and Bagdogra in West Bengal. The government expects the route to provide continuous movement of military personnel, logistics and emergency relief materials during emergencies. The project is close to the Bagdogra Air Force Station and the Bengdubi Army Cantonment in the region.

In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Emergency Landing Facility at Dibrugarh in eastern Assam. The 4.2-km stretch of highway has been upgraded to serve as an emergency landing strip for the armed forces during emergency situations.

The Emergency Landing Facility is the first of its kind in the northeastern region of the country. It has been designed to handle fighter aircraft of up to 40 tons and transport aircraft of up to 74 tons take-off weight. It is envisioned to act as an alternative landing option if Dibrugarh airport or the Chabua Air Force Station becomes inaccessible due to operational constraints or emergencies.

At the newly established Lachit Borphukan Military Station near the India-Bangladesh border at Dhubri in Assam, rapid deployment forces, intelligence units, and special forces have been stationed to enhance the security of the corridor. A decision has also been taken to set up a military base in Mizoram near the border with Bangladesh’s restive Chittagong Hill Tracts.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian army has come up with an indigenous mono rail system at 16,000 feet, considered a breakthrough in high-altitude logistics, according to a spokesperson of the defense ministry.  The system, which can transport over 300 kilograms of load in a single run, will provide an uninterrupted supply to forward posts that often remain cut off by hostile terrain and unpredictable weather.

India’s increased military presence and upgradation of infrastructure along the narrow Siliguri Corridor and the northeastern region are viewed as a strategic response to external threats. Certain unresolved issues with both China and Bangladesh over the years, coupled with recent developments, seem to have compelled New Delhi to redraw defense plans for the region, considered among the most underdeveloped in the country.