The government is developing a layered security and connectivity architecture around the Siliguri Corridor, India’s narrow land link to the Northeast, News18 reported.

The emerging plan combines underground military infrastructure, additional railway capacity, multi-lane highways, border roads and new military stations to reduce dependence on individual surface routes.

The objective is to create greater redundancy, protect critical infrastructure and ensure the uninterrupted movement of troops, equipment, essential supplies and civilians during a crisis.

The Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, is only about 22 km wide at its narrowest point and lies close to the borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Its location makes it a critical but vulnerable link between mainland India and the Northeast.

The planned military infrastructure includes 12 underground Army Air Defence (AAD) ammunition storage facilities, one underground Long Range Vector (LRV) ammunition storage facility linked to the Smerch system, and 21 over ground LRV emplacements.

The project has an estimated cost of ₹297 crore. Storing air-defence and long-range ammunition underground is intended to protect vital military stocks from pre-emptive air strikes, drone attacks and other threats in the geographically confined corridor.

The government is also planning five underground command and control centres, six underground communication centres, two critical storage spaces, three underground LRV ammunition storage facilities and 12 bomb shelters.

These works, being taken up under the Annual Major Works Program, are estimated to cost ₹237 crore. Subterranean command, communication and storage facilities are designed to improve the survivability of military networks and preserve operational control during electronic warfare, missile attacks or sustained bombardment.

The Railways is executing the Siliguri Corridor Underground Railway Tunnel alongside the doubling of the New Jalpaiguri–Siliguri and Thakurganj–Siliguri railway sections.

The additional rail capacity is intended to provide alternative movement options for civilian traffic, freight and rapid military mobilisation. A parallel or underground rail network would reduce the risks associated with disruption on a single exposed route.

Recent rail plans have also pointed to an underground double-line section linking the Tinmai Ghat area with Bagdogra, as well as a new broad-gauge connection between Thakurganj and the New Jalpaiguri rail network. The doubling of the Thakurganj–Siliguri section has separately received an allocation of more than ₹900 crore, according to reports.

Road connectivity is being expanded at the same time. The projects include the six-lane Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway, a six-lane bridge as an alternative to the Coronation Bridge, the Siliguri Ring Road, and the four-laning and upgrading of National Highways 27 and 17.

These projects are intended to reduce congestion, bypass urban bottlenecks and prevent the failure of one road from cutting off the wider network. The Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway is planned as a major six-lane, access-controlled route running through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar towards north Bengal.

The government is also upgrading three lateral routes linking National Highways 17 and 27. National Highway 10, which connects Sevoke with Rangpo and provides access towards Sikkim, is being upgraded to heavy-load defence specifications under the National Highway Development and Logistics Program.

These lateral links would provide alternative routes for heavy military vehicles travelling towards Sikkim and other frontier sectors. They would also help distribute civilian and military traffic instead of concentrating it on a small number of vulnerable highways.

Along the India–Nepal border, 75 km of the 79.5-km Fatehpur–Galgalia border road under the Indo-Nepal Border Roads project has been completed. Additional proposals for Indo-Nepal Border Road-II have been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The roads are intended to improve patrol access, regulate movement along the open border and strengthen the response to infiltration, smuggling and other cross-border security challenges.

On the Bhutan side, proposals have been submitted for Indo-Bhutan Border Road-I, including sections linked to the Siliguri Corridor. Army Headquarters is also considering the establishment of new military stations in the corridor.

The proposed basing and road network would strengthen access towards the India–Bhutan–China tri-junction and the Doklam region. It would also enable faster movement of troops and equipment in response to tactical developments along the frontier.

Government sources describe the wider plan as a shift from dependence on basic surface infrastructure towards a dual-use, subterranean and multi-modal network.

The combination of underground ammunition storage, protected command facilities, subterranean rail capacity, parallel highways, lateral roads and fortified border connectivity is intended to turn the corridor from a single point of failure into a more resilient logistics hub.

The approach is based on redundancy: if one road, railway line or installation is damaged or blocked, alternate routes and protected facilities would continue to support military operations and civilian connectivity.

The infrastructure push is therefore not limited to securing the corridor itself. It is also aimed at ensuring that the Northeast remains permanently connected to the rest of India, including during a high-intensity conflict or a major disruption to surface transport.

Agencies