Chicken's Neck (India)
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The Siliguri Corridor, often dubbed the "Chicken's Neck", is a stretch of land around the city of
Siliguri Siliguri (, ; ), also known as Shiliguri, is a major Tier ii cities in india, tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms the twin cities, Twin Cities with the neighbouring city of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeel ...
in
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. at the narrowest section, this geopolitical and geoeconomical corridor connects the seven states of
northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...
to the rest of India. The countries of
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
and
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
lie on each side of the corridor and the
Kingdom of Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
lies at the northern end of the corridor. The
Kingdom of Sikkim The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and , ''Drenjong'', , ''Sikimr Gyalkhab'') officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and ) until the 1800s, was a hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas which existed from 1642 to 16 May 1975 ...
formerly lay on the northern side of the corridor, until its merger with India in 1975. The city of Siliguri is the major city in the area and the central transfer point connecting Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sikkim,
Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
, Northeast India and mainland India. According to the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
, the Siliguri Corridor is the Army's strongest defensive line.


History

The
partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
led to the formation of the Siliguri Corridor through the creation of
East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...
(now
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
) after the partition of Bengal (into
East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...
and West Bengal) in 1947–1948. The
Kingdom of Sikkim The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and , ''Drenjong'', , ''Sikimr Gyalkhab'') officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and ) until the 1800s, was a hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas which existed from 1642 to 16 May 1975 ...
formerly lay on the northern side of the corridor, until its union with India in 1975 via a publicly held referendum. From Sikkim, India consolidated its control of the
Chumbi Valley The Chumbi Valley, called Dromo or Tromo in Tibetan, is a valley in the Himalayas that projects southwards from the Tibetan plateau, intervening between Sikkim and Bhutan. It is coextensive with the administrative unit Yadong County in the T ...
, along with Bhutan.


Location and dimensions

The dimensions of the corridor are a matter of interpretation. Descriptions give it an area of with the narrowest section being . Kamal Jit Singh places the length at with a width of , giving it an area of approximately . Another description places its dimensions as approximately in length and wide, also giving it an area of approximately . The corridor is located between Bangladesh to the southwest, Nepal on the northwest, and Bhutan to the north. Between
Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...
and Bhutan lies the
Chumbi Valley The Chumbi Valley, called Dromo or Tromo in Tibetan, is a valley in the Himalayas that projects southwards from the Tibetan plateau, intervening between Sikkim and Bhutan. It is coextensive with the administrative unit Yadong County in the T ...
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
an territory.Partha S. Ghosh, "Cooperation and Conflict in South Asia", UPL, Dhaka, 1989, p-43 The southern end of the Dolam plateau or Doklam tri boundary area slopes into the corridor. At the narrowest stretch, the corridor is generally formed by the
Mechi River The Mechi River is a trans-boundary river flowing through Nepal and India. It is a tributary of the Mahananda River. Course The Mechi originates in the Mahabharat Range in Nepal. It flows through Nepal, forms the boundary between India and Nepal ...
in the east; Nepal's Bhadrapur lies on the banks of the river. Further north the Mechi Bridge connects
Mechinagar Mechinagar () is a municipality in Jhapa District, Koshi Province, Nepal and is the main entry point from India on Nepal's eastern border. Nepal's customs office is in Kakarvitta (), a section of the municipality. The city lies 475 km so ...
.


Developments and strategic significance


Connectivity and Logistics

India has embarked on a slew of projects. These include the construction of
India-China Border Roads Chinese Indian or Indian Chinese may refer to: * China–India relations China and India maintained peaceful relations for thousands of years, but their relationship has varied since the Chinese Communist Party's victory in the Chinese Civil ...
, where, as of 2024, multiple phases of border roads have been constructed, and Advance Landing Grounds (ALGs), such as the Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground, which is nearing completion as of 2024. Other projects include Northeastern India connectivity and Look-East transnational connectivity projects including
BIMSTEC The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, housing 1.73 billion people and having a combined gross domestic pro ...
and BBIN to create multiple alternatives to Silliguri corridor, including through Bangladesh and the sea. All land transportation between the rest of India and its far northeastern states uses this corridor. The route has a major
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...
railway line. Electrification of this double-track corridor is in progress with assistance from the Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE). Additionally, the old
metre gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...
line (recently converted to a broad-gauge line) connects Siliguri Junction with Islampur in the North Dinajpur district of West Bengal, via
Bagdogra Bagdogra is a settlement in the Naxalbari (community development block), Naxalbari Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district, in the Indian States and territories of India, state of We ...
(the only airport of national interest in the corridor) and the bordering towns of Adhikari, Galgalia,
Thakurganj Thakurganj is a town and a notified area, divided into 12 wards, in Kishanganj district in the Indian state of Bihar. Geography It has an average elevation of 82 metres (269 feet). It touches international border of Nepal in one side ...
,
Naxalbari Naxalbari ( Bengali: ''Nôkśālbāṛi'', ; also spelled Naksalbari) is a village in the Naxalbari CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. Naxalbari is known for being the site of ...
and Taiabpur with Nepal. As of 2024, to reduce dependence on the Siliguri Corridor, India is planning to build railway lines through
Jogbani Jogbani is a municipal council area, in Araria District of Bihar state, India. It lies on the Indo-Nepal border with Morang District, Koshi Zone and is a gateway to Biratnagar city. There is a customs checkpoint for goods at the border. ...
in
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
, which would enter
Biratnagar Biratnagar () is a List of cities in Nepal, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Koshi Province. With a Metropolitan Urban Agglomeration population of 244,750 as per the 2021 Nepal census, 2021 census, it is the largest c ...
in Nepal and then connect with New Mal Junction in West Bengal. India is also developing railway lines through Bangladesh, which includes constructing new railway tracks and the
gauge conversion Track gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between the running rails) to another. In general, requirements depend on whether the conversion is from a wider gauge to a narrower gauge or vice versa, on how the ...
of existing railway tracks, in order to reduce dependance on the Siliguri Corridor, as of 2024. As of 2024, there is no free-trade agreement between Bangladesh and India. The Tetulia Corridor, an alternative to the Siliguri Corridor, is proposed under Article VIII of the India–Bangladesh Trade Agreement 1980, which states that "The two governments agree to make mutually beneficial arrangements for the use of their waterways, railways and roadways for commerce between the two countries and for passage of goods between two places in one country through the territory of the other". However, the opening of the Tetulia Corridor is still being discussed politically as of 2019.


Security

India has several forces stationed on the borders, the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
and
Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a Central Armed Police Forces, central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding Border guard, India’s border with ...
man the border with China;
Sashastra Seema Bal The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB; ) is a Central Armed Police Forces, central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding Border guard, India’s borders with Indi ...
is deployed along the border with Nepal and Bhutan and the
Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pak War of 196 ...
for Bangladesh. The strip is also patrolled by the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
, the
Assam Rifles The Assam Rifles (AR) is a paramilitary force of India responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India and in Jammu & Kashmir in lines of Rashtriya Rifles. Its primary duty involves guard ...
, and state police forces including the
West Bengal Police The West Bengal Police () is the primary law enforcement agency for the Indian state of West Bengal, excluding the metropolitan area of Kolkata, which has its own separate police force. It is responsible for maintaining public order, preventing ...
. The security threat posed by the corridor decreased following the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Internal threats to the corridor are numerous. Militant groups known to have used the corridor include the
United Liberation Front of Assam The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is an armed separatist insurgent organisation, that operates in the Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an independent sovereign nation state of Assam for the indigenous Assamese people throu ...
(ULFA) and the
National Socialist Council of Nagaland The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga militant and separatist group operating mainly in Northeast India, northeastern part of India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar. The main aim of the organisation is reportedly ...
(NSCN). The threat of a Chinese advance is still considered by Indian planners. A Chinese military advance of less than would cut off Bhutan, part of
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
and all of
North-East India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, M ...
, an area containing almost 50 million people. This situation arose during the war between India and China in 1962. The security threat to this corridor was heightened during the 2017 Doklam incident. The probability of China cutting off seven states in northeast India has been questioned. The Indian Army has said that the Siliguri Corridor is the Army's strongest defensive line. The Army's Trishakti
Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
( XXXIII Corps) has a strategic role in the region's security. The Siliguri Corridor's security also includes
air defense systems Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...
, a
BrahMos The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10)regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
and a squadron of the Indian Air Force's Rafale fighter aircraft based at
Hasimara Air Force Station Hasimara Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force (IAF) base located in Alipurduar district, West Bengal, India. Hasimara is located strategically near the Indo-Bhutan border. It is also the closest Indian air base to the Chumbi Valley - the tri-j ...
.


In popular culture

Humphrey Hawksley Humphrey Hawksley is an English journalist and author who has been a foreign correspondent for the BBC since the early 1980s. Education Hawksley was educated at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate in Kent, after which he joined the Merchant Navy to ...
, in his 2000 novel '' Dragon Fire,'' briefly authors a situation where China cuts off India's land route to its northeastern territories. ''Assassin's Mace'' (2011) by Brigadier Bob Butalia also involves such a situation involving
Doklam Doklam (), called Donglang ( zh, c=洞朗) by China, is an area in Chumbi Valley with a high plateau and a valley, lying between China's Yadong County to the north, Bhutan's Haa District to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. Since ...
and
Jaldhaka River The Jaldhaka River (Pron:/ˌdʒælˈdɑːkə/) (), also known as Dichu, is a tributary of the Brahmaputra and a trans-boundary river flowing through India, Bhutan and Bangladesh with a length of 233 kilometres. It originates from the Bitang La ...
.


Notes

;Bibliography *


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * {{coord, 26, 35, N, 88, 15, E, source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Geography of West Bengal Darjeeling district Siliguri Geopolitical corridors Bangladesh–India border Bhutan–India border India–Nepal border