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India Fortifies Siliguri Corridor With Underground Infrastructure and New Routes
The Siliguri Corridor is a narrow strip of land that connects the rest of India to its northeastern states.
Because so much travel and supplies pass through it, India wants to make the route safer and harder to disrupt.
A 40-km underground railway is planned through the corridor.
Reported military plans include underground storage and command facilities.
Rafale fighter jets are based at Hasimara nearby.
India is also building other ways to reach the Northeast, including a planned tunnel under the Brahmaputra.
An upgraded stretch of highway in Dibrugarh can be used by military aircraft in emergencies.
India has also decided to establish a military base in Mizoram near Bangladesh.
India plans a 40-km underground railway corridor through the Siliguri Corridor to protect connectivity with the Northeast.
Reported Army plans include underground ammunition stores and command and communication centres, plus firing positions and bomb shelters.
Hasimara Air Force Station hosts the Indian Air Force’s No. 101 Squadron, which operates Rafale fighters.
India is developing alternative Northeast links, including a ₹18,662-crore Assam project with a proposed road-and-rail tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra.
Other measures include a military aircraft emergency landing facility in Dibrugarh and a planned military base in Mizoram near Bangladesh.
- Who
- The Indian government, Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
- What
- India is planning infrastructure and military measures to strengthen the Siliguri Corridor and improve alternative access to the Northeast.
- Where
- The Siliguri Corridor in northern West Bengal and other locations in Northeast India, including Assam and Mizoram.
- When
- The article reports current plans and projects; it also notes the Hasimara Rafale squadron became operational in July 2021 and the Doklam standoff occurred in 2017.
- Why
- The corridor is the principal land link to the Northeast, and disruption could affect the movement of troops and essential supplies.
Security rationale
Infrastructure and resilience
Fortifying the corridor
Security rationale
The article describes the corridor as strategically vulnerable and says underground facilities are intended to help military assets survive attacks.
Infrastructure and resilience
The article also presents the railway and other infrastructure as ways to maintain transport and supply access to the Northeast if the corridor is disrupted.
Reducing reliance on one route
Security rationale
The narrow corridor is a critical security concern because disruption could affect troop movements and essential supplies.
Infrastructure and resilience
Alternative links through Bangladesh and Myanmar, along with the Assam tunnel project, are intended to diversify connectivity.
Key facts
- Narrowest width
- Just over 22 km
- Planned underground railway
- 40 km through the Siliguri Corridor
- Reported Army facilities
- 12 underground air-defence ammunition stores, five underground command centres, six communication centres, 12 bomb shelters and 21 surface firing positions
- Hasimara squadron
- No. 101 Squadron operates Rafale fighters and was operationalised there in July 2021
- Assam connectivity project
- ₹18,662 crore for four-lane connectivity between Gohpur and Numaligarh
- Brahmaputra tunnel
- The project includes a 15.79-km road-cum-rail tunnel beneath the river
- Dibrugarh emergency landing facility
- A 4.2-km highway stretch was upgraded for military aircraft landings
Sources
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