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Siliguri Corridor

February 16, 2024

For other uses of "Chicken's Neck", see Chicken's Neck (disambiguation).

The Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken's Neck, is a stretch of land around the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India.[1][2] 20–22 kilometres (12–14 mi) at the narrowest section, this geo-political and geo-economical corridor connects the eight states of northeast India to the rest of the Indian Republic.[1] The countries of Nepal and Bangladesh lie on each side of the corridor and the Kingdom of Bhutan lies at the northern end of the corridor. The Kingdom of Sikkim formerly lay on the northern side of the corridor, until its merging with India in 1975.

The Siliguri Corridor is the strip of Indian territory within the red highlighted circle.

The city of Siliguri, in the state of West Bengal, is the major city in this area and the central transfer point in eastern South Asia that connects Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Northeast India to one another.

History edit

The partition of India led to the formation of the Siliguri Corridor through the creation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) after the partition of Bengal (into East Bengal and West Bengal) in 1947–1948.[3]

The Kingdom of Sikkim formerly lay on the northern side of the corridor, until its union with the Indian Republic in 1975 via a publicly held referendum.[4][5] This gave India a buffer to the north of the Siliguri Corridor and consolidated India's control over the western side of the Chumbi Valley.

Location and dimensions edit

 
Dimensions of the corridor. Distances in kilometers.

The dimensions of the corridor are a matter of interpretation.[6] Descriptions give it an area of 170 by 60 km (106 by 37 mi) with the narrowest section being 20–22 km (12–14 mi).[1][2] Kamal Jit Singh places the length at 200 km (120 mi) with a width of 17 to 60 km (11 to 37 mi), giving it an area of approximately 12,200 km2 (4,700 sq mi).[6]

Another description places its dimensions as approximately 200 km (120 mi) in length and 20 to 60 km (12 to 37 mi) wide, also giving it an area of approximately 12,200 km2 (4,700 sq mi).[7]

The corridor is located between Bangladesh to the south-west, Nepal on the northwest, and proximate to Bhutan in the north.[8] Between Sikkim and Bhutan lies the Chumbi Valley, a dagger-like slice of Tibetan territory.[9] The southern end of the Dolam plateau or Doklam triboundary area slopes into the corridor.[10] At the narrowest stretch, the corridor is generally formed by the Mechi River in the east; Nepal's Bhadrapur lies on the banks of the river.[11] Further north the Mechi Bridge connects Mechinagar.[12][13]

Current situation edit

Connectivity and logistics edit

 
AH2 of the Asian Highway goes through the Siliguri Corridor.

India has embarked on a slew of projects, such as construction of India-China Border Roads and Advance Landing Ground (ALGs), Northeastern India connectivity and Look-East transnational connectivity projects including BIMSTEC 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 railway line. Electrification of this double-track corridor is in progress with assistance from Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE). Additionally, the old metre gauge line (recently converted to a 1.676 metres (5 ft 6.0 in) broad-gauge line) connects Siliguri Junction with Islampur in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal, via Bagdogra (the only airport of national interest in the corridor) and the bordering towns of Adhikari, Galgalia, Thakurganj, Naxalbari and Taiabpur with Nepal. National Highway 10 connects Siliguri to Guwahati in Assam.[14]

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".[citation needed] However, the proposal is still in the initial stages of negotiation.

Security edit

India has a number of forces stationed on the borders, the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police man the border with China; Sashastra Seema Bal are deployed along the border with Nepal and Bhutan and Border Security Force for Bangladesh.[6] The strip is also patrolled by the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, and state police forces including the West Bengal Police.[6] The security threat posed by the corridor decreased following the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.[15] Internal threats to the corridor are numerous.[15] Militant groups known to have used the corridor include United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN).[7]

The threat of a Chinese advance is still considered by Indian planners.[15] A Chinese military advance of less than 130 km (81 mi) would cut off Bhutan, part of West Bengal and all of North-East India, an area containing almost 50 million people. This situation arose during the war between India and China in 1962.[9] The security threat to this corridor was heightened during the 2017 Doklam incident.[16] The probability of China cutting off seven states in northeast India has been questioned.[17]

In popular culture edit

Humphrey Hawksley, in his 2000 novel Dragon Fire, briefly authors a situation where China cuts off India's land route to its northeastern territories.[7] Assassin's Mace (2011) by Brigadier Bob Butalia also involves such a situation involving Doklam and Jaldhaka River.[6]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c Singh, Mayank (7 November 2021). "Army steps up efforts to safeguard Siliguri Corridor". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b Singh, Mohinder Pal (9 October 2019). "What if China wrings India's 'Chicken's Neck' – the Siliguri corridor? Here are some countermeasures". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2022 – via USI India.
  3. ^ Atig Ghosh, The Importance of Being Siliguri (2018), p. 136.
  4. ^ "Sikkim Votes On Indian Merger". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 15 April 1975. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Sikkim Voters OK Merger With India". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 16 April 1975. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e Singh, Lt Gen (Retd) KJ (9 July 2017). "India ready, theoretically: 'Threats' to Siliguri Corridor war-gamed". Tribune India. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Bhattacharya, Pinaki (2001). "The Shiliguri Corridor: Question Mark on Security". South Asia Terrorism Portal. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  8. ^ Marcus Franda, "Bangladesh, The First Decades", South Asian Publishers Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, 1982, p-126
  9. ^ a b Partha S. Ghosh, "Cooperation and Conflict in South Asia", UPL, Dhaka, 1989, p-43
  10. ^ Myers, Steven Lee; Barry, Ellen; Fisher, Max (26 July 2017). "How India and China Have Come to the Brink Over a Remote Mountain Pass". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  11. ^ Dixit, Kanak Mani (1 August 2002). "Chicken's Neck". Himal Southasian. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Approval of MoU between India & Nepal for laying down implementation arrangement for construction of new Bridge over Mechi River at Indo-Nepal border". Business Standard India. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  13. ^ Khanal, Radha (26 November 2020). "Asian Highway now connected with Nepal". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  14. ^ Gokhale, Nitin A. (13 July 1998). . Outlook. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  15. ^ a b c Joshi, Manoj (10 July 2017). . ORF/ Outlook. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018.
  16. ^ Singh, D. K. (11 August 2018). "This is the first official account of the India-China face-off in Doklam". ThePrint. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  17. ^ Asthana, Alok (1 August 2017). "Does It Make Military Sense for India to Mount the Barricades at Doklam?". The Wire. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
Bibliography
  • Ghosh, Atig (2018). "The Importance of Being Siliguri. Border-Effect and the 'Untimely' City in North Bengal". In Neilson, Brett; Rossiter, Ned; Samaddar, Ranabir (eds.). Logistical Asia: The Labour of Making a World Region. Palgrave Macmillan, Springer. ISBN 9789811083334. LCCN 2018935185.

Further reading edit

  • Gill, Prabhjote (16 December 2020). "After 55 years, India will inaugurate a new railway line with Bangladesh to save its 'Chicken's Neck' from China". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  • Sarkar, Debasis (3 September 2020). "Siliguri corridor continues to be preferred International antique trafficking route". The Economic Times. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  • Sinha, Avijit (8 November 2016). "Glare on vulnerability of Siliguri corridor". Telegraph India. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  • Study for modal shift of cargo passing through Siliguri Corridor destined for North-East and neighboring countries to IWT (PDF), Ernst & Young (EY). Inland Waterways Authority of India, August 2017
  • Sabu, Jithin (November 2020), Field Diary - Siliguri Corridor (PDF), CUTS International (Consumer Unity & Trust Society)
  • Bhattacharjee, Rupak (2015), Security Vulnerabilities of India's Siliguri Corridor and their Implications, Society for Policy Studies (SPS)
  • Kumar, Brig Narender (January 2019), Internal Security Challenges to India: 2019 (PDF), vol. 163, CLAWS
  • Meena, Rakesh Kumar; Bhattacharjee, Dhrubajyoti (2008). "Siliguri in Gorkhaland: A Political Nightmare for West Bengal?". Economic and Political Weekly. 43 (25): 15–16. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 40277581.
  • Scott, David (23 September 2008). "Sino-Indian Security Predicaments for the Twenty-First Century". Asian Security. 4 (3): 244–270. doi:10.1080/14799850802306468. ISSN 1479-9855. S2CID 145149544.
  • Middleton, Townsend (15 May 2020). "Connective Insecurities: Chokepoint Pragmatics at India's Chicken Neck". Ethnos. 88 (2): 204–225. doi:10.1080/00141844.2019.1705369. ISSN 0014-1844. S2CID 219428673.
  • Malik, Hasan Yaser (December 2015). "Siliguri: A Geopolitical Manoeuvre Corridor in the Eastern Himalayan Region for China and India". Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations. 1 (3): 699–720.

26°35′N 88°15′E / 26.583°N 88.250°E / 26.583; 88.250

February 16, 2024
siliguri, corridor, other, uses, chicken, neck, chicken, neck, disambiguation, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, updated, please, he. For other uses of Chicken s Neck see Chicken s Neck disambiguation This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information December 2019 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Siliguri Corridor news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The Siliguri Corridor also known as the Chicken s Neck is a stretch of land around the city of Siliguri in West Bengal India 1 2 20 22 kilometres 12 14 mi at the narrowest section this geo political and geo economical corridor connects the eight states of northeast India to the rest of the Indian Republic 1 The countries of Nepal and Bangladesh lie on each side of the corridor and the Kingdom of Bhutan lies at the northern end of the corridor The Kingdom of Sikkim formerly lay on the northern side of the corridor until its merging with India in 1975 The Siliguri Corridor is the strip of Indian territory within the red highlighted circle The city of Siliguri in the state of West Bengal is the major city in this area and the central transfer point in eastern South Asia that connects Bhutan Nepal Bangladesh Sikkim Darjeeling and Northeast India to one another Contents 1 History 2 Location and dimensions 3 Current situation 3 1 Connectivity and logistics 3 2 Security 4 In popular culture 5 Notes 6 Further readingHistory editThe partition of India led to the formation of the Siliguri Corridor through the creation of East Pakistan now Bangladesh after the partition of Bengal into East Bengal and West Bengal in 1947 1948 3 The Kingdom of Sikkim formerly lay on the northern side of the corridor until its union with the Indian Republic in 1975 via a publicly held referendum 4 5 This gave India a buffer to the north of the Siliguri Corridor and consolidated India s control over the western side of the Chumbi Valley Location and dimensions edit nbsp Dimensions of the corridor Distances in kilometers The dimensions of the corridor are a matter of interpretation 6 Descriptions give it an area of 170 by 60 km 106 by 37 mi with the narrowest section being 20 22 km 12 14 mi 1 2 Kamal Jit Singh places the length at 200 km 120 mi with a width of 17 to 60 km 11 to 37 mi giving it an area of approximately 12 200 km2 4 700 sq mi 6 Another description places its dimensions as approximately 200 km 120 mi in length and 20 to 60 km 12 to 37 mi wide also giving it an area of approximately 12 200 km2 4 700 sq mi 7 The corridor is located between Bangladesh to the south west Nepal on the northwest and proximate to Bhutan in the north 8 Between Sikkim and Bhutan lies the Chumbi Valley a dagger like slice of Tibetan territory 9 The southern end of the Dolam plateau or Doklam triboundary area slopes into the corridor 10 At the narrowest stretch the corridor is generally formed by the Mechi River in the east Nepal s Bhadrapur lies on the banks of the river 11 Further north the Mechi Bridge connects Mechinagar 12 13 Current situation editThis section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information August 2017 Connectivity and logistics edit nbsp AH2 of the Asian Highway goes through the Siliguri Corridor India has embarked on a slew of projects such as construction of India China Border Roads and Advance Landing Ground ALGs Northeastern India connectivity and Look East transnational connectivity projects including BIMSTEC 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 railway line Electrification of this double track corridor is in progress with assistance from Central Organization for Railway Electrification CORE Additionally the old metre gauge line recently converted to a 1 676 metres 5 ft 6 0 in broad gauge line connects Siliguri Junction with Islampur in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal via Bagdogra the only airport of national interest in the corridor and the bordering towns of Adhikari Galgalia Thakurganj Naxalbari and Taiabpur with Nepal National Highway 10 connects Siliguri to Guwahati in Assam 14 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 citation needed However the proposal is still in the initial stages of negotiation Security edit India has a number of forces stationed on the borders the Army and Indo Tibetan Border Police man the border with China Sashastra Seema Bal are deployed along the border with Nepal and Bhutan and Border Security Force for Bangladesh 6 The strip is also patrolled by the Indian Army the Assam Rifles and state police forces including the West Bengal Police 6 The security threat posed by the corridor decreased following the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 15 Internal threats to the corridor are numerous 15 Militant groups known to have used the corridor include United Liberation Front of Asom ULFA and National Socialist Council of Nagaland NSCN 7 The threat of a Chinese advance is still considered by Indian planners 15 A Chinese military advance of less than 130 km 81 mi would cut off Bhutan part of West Bengal and all of North East India an area containing almost 50 million people This situation arose during the war between India and China in 1962 9 The security threat to this corridor was heightened during the 2017 Doklam incident 16 The probability of China cutting off seven states in northeast India has been questioned 17 In popular culture editHumphrey Hawksley in his 2000 novel Dragon Fire briefly authors a situation where China cuts off India s land route to its northeastern territories 7 Assassin s Mace 2011 by Brigadier Bob Butalia also involves such a situation involving Doklam and Jaldhaka River 6 Notes edit a b c Singh Mayank 7 November 2021 Army steps up efforts to safeguard Siliguri Corridor The New Indian Express Retrieved 16 January 2022 a b Singh Mohinder Pal 9 October 2019 What if China wrings India s Chicken s Neck the Siliguri corridor Here are some countermeasures The Times of India Retrieved 16 January 2022 via USI India Atig Ghosh The Importance of Being Siliguri 2018 p 136 Sikkim Votes On Indian Merger Daytona Beach Morning Journal 15 April 1975 Retrieved 28 January 2018 Sikkim Voters OK Merger With India Sarasota Herald Tribune 16 April 1975 Retrieved 28 January 2018 a b c d e Singh Lt Gen Retd KJ 9 July 2017 India ready theoretically Threats to Siliguri Corridor war gamed Tribune India Retrieved 21 January 2022 a b c Bhattacharya Pinaki 2001 The Shiliguri Corridor Question Mark on Security South Asia Terrorism Portal Retrieved 21 January 2022 Marcus Franda Bangladesh The First Decades South Asian Publishers Pvt Ltd New Delhi 1982 p 126 a b Partha S Ghosh Cooperation and Conflict in South Asia UPL Dhaka 1989 p 43 Myers Steven Lee Barry Ellen Fisher Max 26 July 2017 How India and China Have Come to the Brink Over a Remote Mountain Pass The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 22 January 2022 Dixit Kanak Mani 1 August 2002 Chicken s Neck Himal Southasian Retrieved 22 January 2022 Approval of MoU between India amp Nepal for laying down implementation arrangement for construction of new Bridge over Mechi River at Indo Nepal border Business Standard India 23 August 2017 Retrieved 22 January 2022 Khanal Radha 26 November 2020 Asian Highway now connected with Nepal The Annapurna Express Retrieved 22 January 2022 Gokhale Nitin A 13 July 1998 Chicken s Neck All choked up Outlook Archived from the original on 28 April 2020 Retrieved 27 February 2011 a b c Joshi Manoj 10 July 2017 Chink In The Checker s Board ORF Outlook Archived from the original on 3 October 2018 Singh D K 11 August 2018 This is the first official account of the India China face off in Doklam ThePrint Retrieved 21 January 2022 Asthana Alok 1 August 2017 Does It Make Military Sense for India to Mount the Barricades at Doklam The Wire Retrieved 22 January 2022 BibliographyGhosh Atig 2018 The Importance of Being Siliguri Border Effect and the Untimely City in North Bengal In Neilson Brett Rossiter Ned Samaddar Ranabir eds Logistical Asia The Labour of Making a World Region Palgrave Macmillan Springer ISBN 9789811083334 LCCN 2018935185 Further reading editGill Prabhjote 16 December 2020 After 55 years India will inaugurate a new railway line with Bangladesh to save its Chicken s Neck from China Business Insider Retrieved 20 January 2022 Sarkar Debasis 3 September 2020 Siliguri corridor continues to be preferred International antique trafficking route The Economic Times Retrieved 20 January 2022 Sinha Avijit 8 November 2016 Glare on vulnerability of Siliguri corridor Telegraph India Retrieved 20 January 2022 Study for modal shift of cargo passing through Siliguri Corridor destined for North East and neighboring countries to IWT PDF Ernst amp Young EY Inland Waterways Authority of India August 2017 Sabu Jithin November 2020 Field Diary Siliguri Corridor PDF CUTS International Consumer Unity amp Trust Society Bhattacharjee Rupak 2015 Security Vulnerabilities of India s Siliguri Corridor and their Implications Society for Policy Studies SPS Kumar Brig Narender January 2019 Internal Security Challenges to India 2019 PDF vol 163 CLAWS Meena Rakesh Kumar Bhattacharjee Dhrubajyoti 2008 Siliguri in Gorkhaland A Political Nightmare for West Bengal Economic and Political Weekly 43 25 15 16 ISSN 0012 9976 JSTOR 40277581 Scott David 23 September 2008 Sino Indian Security Predicaments for the Twenty First Century Asian Security 4 3 244 270 doi 10 1080 14799850802306468 ISSN 1479 9855 S2CID 145149544 Middleton Townsend 15 May 2020 Connective Insecurities Chokepoint Pragmatics at India s Chicken Neck Ethnos 88 2 204 225 doi 10 1080 00141844 2019 1705369 ISSN 0014 1844 S2CID 219428673 Malik Hasan Yaser December 2015 Siliguri A Geopolitical Manoeuvre Corridor in the Eastern Himalayan Region for China and India Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations 1 3 699 720 26 35 N 88 15 E 26 583 N 88 250 E 26 583 88 250 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Siliguri Corridor amp oldid 1206801989, wikipedia, 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