After 55 years India will inaugurate a new railway line with Bangladesh
India and Bangladesh are set to inaugurate a new railway line that will connect West Bengal to Chilahati across the border. On paper_ the route will serve to improve trade and trans-border railway connectivity will resume between the two countries after a gap of five decades.
But_ on the ground_ the 75-kilometre long railway line will bring the rest of India a little closer to the Chicken s Neck _ also called the Siliguri Corridor_ to counter China s growing aggressiveness in the North East.
According to the Lowly Institute_ it s integral that India saves its Chicken s Neck from China especially considering that it s already locked in a face-off against the dragon in Eastern Ladakh.
The thin stretch of land gets its name from being only 22-kilometres wide. And_ it will be less than 100 kilometres from the new railway line.
The narrow bridge of land is the only connection between the rest of India and its eight north-eastern states. At the same time_ the slender transit zone is flanked by China_ Nepal_ Bangladesh and Bhutan.
In the past_ Nath-La Pass and Doklam_ have served as the stage for the two Asian giants to battle their claims. And_ for China to take over Chicken s Neck_ it would only have to move its army inland by 130 kilometres.
The strategic anxiety around the region is only heightened by China s continued road and airstrip construction activities on its side of the border_ which could allow it to mobilise rapidly in the region.
Cognizant of the threat_ the area is constantly patrolled by a number of entities including the Indian Army_ the Assam Rifles_ the Border Security Force_ and the West Bengal Police. India s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is also known to closely monitor activity in the region as well.
India is also looking at fast-tracking the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India Nepal (BBIN) initiative which will boost connectivity among the South Asian neighbours through rail and road.
.png "Advertisement")
