Why Is This Area Of India Called Chicken Neck?

Last Updated:September 11, 2025, 16:24 IST

India’s Siliguri Corridor, key to the North-East, faces security concerns as China and Bangladesh act and the Kaladan Transit Project progresses

The Siliguri Corridor is also the artery through which the bulk of India’s road and rail networks to the North-East pass. (News18 Hindi)

At first glance, the Siliguri Corridor in north Bengal may appear as just another stretch of land on the map. But to security planners in New Delhi, this 60-kilometre-long and barely 22-kilometre-wide strip of territory is nothing less than India’s Achilles’ heel. Known in strategic circles as the “Chicken Neck", this narrow passage is the only terrestrial link between the Indian mainland and the eight north-eastern states, making it one of the most sensitive and closely monitored geographies in South Asia.

Strategists often liken it to a body’s neck: if severed, the head would be cut off from the body. In similar fashion, a disruption in this corridor could isolate Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim from the rest of the country.

Geographically, the corridor’s vulnerability is stark. On one flank lies Nepal, on the other Bangladesh, while just northward is the Chumbi Valley of China’s Tibet, abutting Bhutan’s Doklam plateau, a flashpoint of India-China tensions in 2017. For adversaries, the corridor represents a tempting target; for India, it is a lifeline that must never be compromised.

The Siliguri Corridor is also the artery through which the bulk of India’s road and rail networks to the North-East pass. For the Indian Army, it is the primary channel of logistical supply and troop movement. A blockade or strike here, analysts warn, could trigger not only a military crisis but also an acute humanitarian one for civilians dependent on this fragile connection.

The corridor’s strategic importance has returned to spotlight in recent weeks after Bangladesh’s interim government chief Mohammad Yunus visited Beijing, sparking fresh debate among defence experts about Chinese designs in the region. “China has consistently sought to put pressure around this corridor, through infrastructure moves in Tibet, through diplomacy with neighbouring countries, and by exploiting vulnerabilities in India’s neighbourhood," said a retired Indian Army officer familiar with deployments in the sector.

To reduce its reliance on this singular passage, New Delhi has been working on the ambitious Kaladan Multimodal Transit Project. The scheme envisions connecting Kolkata port to Mizoram via Myanmar’s Sittwe port, using a combination of sea, river and road routes. Once operational, it will give India a fallback option, ensuring the North-East remains accessible even in the event of disruptions at Siliguri.

Meanwhile, security has been bolstered on the corridor itself. Surveillance drones, satellite monitoring, specialised border units and quick-reaction forces are routinely deployed, with agencies maintaining round-the-clock vigilance. Officials stress that while infrastructure alternatives are being developed, the Chicken Neck will remain irreplaceable in the foreseeable future.

Experts say the corridor symbolises much more than geography. It is the fulcrum of India’s national security, economic connectivity, and regional diplomacy.

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