India launches underground rail and fortified bases to secure the Siliguri 'Chicken's Neck'

India is accelerating a multi-layered defence programme for the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow 22-km stretch that connects the mainland with its northeastern states. A 40-km underground railway, unveiled by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, will provide a resilient transport artery in case of hostilities. The Indian Army plans to install twelve underground ammunition stores for air-defence units, additional depots for Smerch rockets, twenty-one surface firing points, five underground command centres, six communication hubs and twelve bomb shelters.

The nearby Air Force Station Hasimara hosts No. 101 Squadron's Rafale jets, bolstering air power over the corridor. To reduce reliance on this single route, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved an ₹18,662-crore greenfield road-rail tunnel in Assam and an emergency runway upgrade in Dibrugarh, while a new military base is slated for Mizoram near the Bangladesh border. These steps reflect India's response to past tensions such as the 2017 Doklam standoff and growing Chinese infrastructure near the area.