About Siliguri Corridor
- The Siliguri Corridor, or Chicken’s neck, is a narrow stretch of land located in the West Bengal, that connects India’s northeastern states to the rest of India. At its narrowest, the corridor is just 17Km wide
- It borders Nepal, Bangladesh and Kingdom of Bhutan.
- The corridor extends from the Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Terai areas of West Bengal towards the North East.
The Siliguri Corridor is strategically important and highly sensitive territory, as it remains the only bridge between the eight north-eastern states of India and the rest of the country.
Significance of Siliguri Corridor
The region is important for trade, commerce and tourism for West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
- All land trade between the North East and the rest of the country happens through this corridor.
- The corridor is the hub of a rail and road network connecting West Bengal and the rest of India to the North East, including Assam, Nagaland and Sikkim.
- It is also the hub of the railway network that connects to the strategic military formations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). From the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway station, different rail links emerge to connect the three important military formations located right opposite China. From the NJP station, a rail link moves towards Guwahati in Assam. It is from here that a road network moves towards the strategically important Tawang town in Arunachal Pradesh.
