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Operation Fortress Siliguri: India's Underground Plan to Secure 'Chicken's Neck'
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News18•25-09-2026, 21:03
Operation Fortress Siliguri: India's Underground Plan to Secure 'Chicken's Neck'
- •India is enhancing security in the strategically vital Siliguri Corridor, known as the "Chicken's Neck," a narrow land link connecting mainland India with the Northeast.
- •The plan includes constructing underground railway tracks between Tin Mile Haat and Rangapani, at a depth of 20-24 meters, to ensure resilient connectivity during extreme scenarios or conflict.
- •This wider security push involves strengthening military infrastructure, surveillance, and rapid-response capabilities around the corridor.
- •The Siliguri Corridor is geographically sensitive, bordered by Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, with China's Chumbi Valley nearby.
Key Questions Answered
The proposed underground railway section between Tin Mile Haat and Rangapani within the Siliguri Corridor is planned to be constructed at a depth of approximately 20 to 24 metres.
The Siliguri Corridor is heavily surrounded by Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, with China's Chumbi Valley also situated nearby.
The government is constructing 12 Underground Army Air Defence ammunition storage facilities, one long-range vector ammunition storage, multiple command and control centres, communication facilities, and bomb shelters to protect military assets from aerial and drone strikes.
