Guwahati, Feb 3: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has welcomed the proposed underground rail link along West Bengal’s strategic ‘Chicken’s Neck’ corridor, calling it a significant step to ensure secure transportation to the Northeast.

The 40-km narrow strip in northern West Bengal’s Siliguri area, bordered by Nepal and Bangladesh and near Bhutan and China, has long been considered a strategic vulnerability. Sarma described the corridor as having been exploited as an intimidation tactic by anti-national forces and termed the underground rail project a “major strategic breakthrough” and a “foolproof transportation corridor.”

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced plans to construct underground tracks along the corridor while upgrading existing lines to four tracks. The new lines will connect Tin Mile Haat and Rangapani stations, with one extending to Bagdogra, a location critical to India’s air defence.

Sarma expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister Vaishnaw for addressing the issue, noting that similar measures could have been considered after the 1971 war. He also criticized past leaders, saying former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi could have expanded the corridor, and Jawaharlal Nehru’s partition decisions left the Northeast dependent on it.

Officials from Northeast Frontier Railway have confirmed the project’s strategic importance for regional connectivity.