Kamal Ghorui
GUWAHATI: India’s plan to secure the strategic “chicken’s neck” corridor to the Northeast from Bengal includes laying underground rail tracks through the nearly 40km stretch flanked by Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Monday.Vaishnaw said the Budget contains a proposal to expand railway link between the region and the rest of the country to four tracks, fulfilling a long-felt need. Northeast Frontier Railway GM Chetan Shrivastava said the underground stretch would run from Tin Mile Haat to Rangapani stations within Bengal.Decision to take the tracks underground stems from threats — overt and covert — to target the chicken’s neck, which is barely 25km wide at the narrowest point. Concerns over the corridor, being seen as India’s Achilles heel, grew after the fall of Hasina govt in Bangladesh, with some groups speaking about “choking the chicken’s neck” to cut off the Northeast. Voices have framed the region as part of their vision of a “greater Bangladesh”. Dhaka’s outreach towards China is another red flag.During the 2017 Doklam stand-off, military planners had talked about the vulnerability of the Siliguri stretch of the corridor. Any disruption here could isolate NE, severing supply lines and impeding movement of troops.“Taking the tracks underground is part of the strategy to ensure connectivity even in times of crises,” an official said.
