Amid increasingly strained ties with Bangladesh, the Union government approved the construction of a 166.8-kilometre high-speed highway linking Shillong in Meghalaya to Silchar in Assam bypassing the neighbouring country. This strategic infrastructure project, forming part of a larger corridor, is seen as a clear signal of India’s push toward reducing dependency on Dhaka for access to its northeastern states.
The four-lane highway, which will run along National Highway 6 — from Mawlyngkhung near Shillong to Panchgram near Silchar — is expected to slash travel time between the two cities from 8.5 hours to just 5.
With a projected investment of ₹22,864 crore and a target completion year of 2030, the project reflects India's urgency to secure alternative, autonomous connectivity routes.
Currently, the Siliguri Corridor — famously referred to as the “Chicken’s Neck”— is the only reliable land link connecting India’s Northeast to the mainland. While limited transit agreements with Bangladesh have provided some maritime access, recent trade restrictions between India and Bangladesh have raised alarm. Officials cite these policy barriers as a key reason for accelerating the development of internal routes that bypass Bangladeshi territory entirely.
This new highway will directly feed into the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, India’s ambitious regional connectivity plan funded by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Kaladan corridor connects Kolkata to Mizoram via the Sittwe Port in Myanmar, inland waterways to Paletwa and a road to Zorinpui on the Indo-Myanmar border. With the Shillong-Silchar link integrated into this system, the route will extend further into Assam and Meghalaya, offering a seamless land-sea corridor to the Northeast— independent of Bangladesh.
Diplomatic frictions between New Delhi and Dhaka have grown more visible in recent months. Bangladesh’s interim chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus, recently referred to India’s northeastern region as “landlocked” and reliant on Bangladesh for maritime passage— a comment viewed in India as provocative. In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly urged Dhaka to exercise diplomatic restraint, reaffirming India's commitment to self-reliant infrastructure that supports national sovereignty.
Analysts view the Shillong-Silchar highway not only as a logistical breakthrough but also as a strategic counter to growing uncertainties in India-Bangladesh relations. The decision to strengthen inland corridors— rather than deepen reliance on cross-border transit — highlights New Delhi’s shift toward long-term autonomy in regional connectivity.
The move also carries regional political weight. Silchar, located at the crossroads of Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Barak Valley, is set to become a major node for trade and movement under India’s Act East Policy. This policy framework aims to deepen India’s economic and geopolitical engagement with Southeast Asia—while reducing vulnerability to bilateral friction with neighbors like Bangladesh.
As India doubles down on developing infrastructure that secures its borders and trade routes, Dhaka's role as a transit partner may gradually diminish. In this evolving regional landscape, the Shillong-Silchar highway stands as both a symbol and a tool of India’s shifting strategy in South Asia.
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