West Bengal government hands over key Chicken's Neck highway stretches to Indian agencies

The newly formed BJP government in West Bengal has, in principle, decided to hand over the expansion and maintenance of seven strategically important highway stretches in the Chicken's Neck corridor to central infrastructure agencies.

The stretches, which form part of the vital Siliguri Corridor connecting mainland India with the north-eastern states, will be transferred from the state Public Works Department's National Highways wing to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL).

A press note issued by the chief secretary's office said the decision includes "in-principle approval for handing over seven stretches of National Highways" to the central agencies.

Taken together, the highways strengthen connectivity to Sikkim, Bhutan and Bangladesh, link the Darjeeling hills, Dooars and North Bengal with the national highway network, and improve the Bihar–Bengal corridor through Malda and Murshidabad. They also upgraded the road network running through Murshidabad, Nadia and North 24 Parganas up to the India–Bangladesh border at Ghojadanga, the statement added.

According to the note, the proposals had remained pending with the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for nearly a year despite repeated requests from central agencies, resulting in stalled development works on these stretches.

The decision is also being viewed in the context of national security considerations, given the strategic importance of the Chicken's Neck corridor.

Five of the seven stretches lie within or pass through the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow 60km-wide stretch that at its narrowest point is just 20–22km wide and is bordered by Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The BJP had earlier criticised the TMC government for delaying the transfer of these highway stretches to central agencies.