Published : 05 Sep 2026, 03:58 AM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:47 AM
India’s central government has allocated 20 billion rupees to construct a 31-kilometre, four-lane highway in the Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the "Chicken’s Neck".
The highway will be built parallel to a section of the strategically important National Highway 27, Indian newspaper The Telegraph reports.
The central government believes that construction of the new highway will strengthen connectivity between the country’s seven northeastern states and the rest of India.
Geographically, the "Chicken’s Neck" runs close to the borders of Nepal and Bangladesh. The borders of China and Bhutan are also located very close to the corridor.
On Thursday, Indian Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the funding for the road project in a Facebook post.
He said the highway would run from Bagdogra to Galgalia in Bihar, via Panitanki and Kharibari. It will be 31.02 kilometres long and will be named National Highway 327, or NH-327. It will be constructed at a distance of 20 to 30 kilometres from NH-27.
Galgalia is located in Bihar’s Kishanganj district. Panitanki, meanwhile, is located in Siliguri in Darjeeling district and is a frequently used route for travel to Nepal.
The "Chicken’s Neck" is approximately 60 kilometres long, while its narrowest section is only 20 to 22 kilometres wide. The corridor is considered extremely important for India’s internal and external security.
Gadkari wrote, “The project will strengthen connectivity with northeastern India and also improve access to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.”
The project will include three major bridges, one overbridge, five underpasses for elephant crossings, and service lanes on both sides of the new highway.
The Telegraph reported that over the past two years, particularly since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been seeking to strengthen defence installations and infrastructure around the Chicken’s Neck.
As part of these efforts, New Delhi recently announced plans to construct a high-speed rail corridor from Varanasi to New Jalpaiguri, as well as a 35-kilometre underground railway near Siliguri. The Railway Ministry has also approved the construction of another railway line from Malda to NJP.
