CHICKEN'S NECK, Nov 10: India has reinforced its military posture around the strategically crucial Siliguri Corridor by establishing three new fully operational garrisons near the Indo-Bangladesh border, according to defence and intelligence assessments cited in reports. The new installations are located at Bamuni (close to Dhubri), Kishanganj, and Chopra, forming a tighter defensive grid over what is widely known as the nation's "Chicken's Neck".
The corridor, just 22 km wide, is India's only land link to the Northeast and is tightly sandwiched between Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Bangladesh, making it one of the most sensitive military choke points in South Asia.
The reinforcement coincides with Bangladesh's ongoing political shift following the exit of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Reports indicate that the current interim administration under Muhammad Yunus has initiated renewed diplomatic and defence-level engagement with Islamabad, including a recent meeting with Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza.
Additionally, Dhaka is reportedly seeking expanded Chinese investments and defence cooperation, raising concerns in New Delhi over a changing strategic balance in the region.
Meanwhile, Russian organisations are developing technical specifications for a new nuclear power plant in India featuring the advanced VVER-1200 reactors, Russia's state-run nuclear corporation, Rosatom, said on Monday.
The two sides are also discussing new areas of cooperation, including the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs) of Russian design in India, Rosatom said in a statement following a meeting in Mumbai between its director general Alexey Likhachev and Department of Atomic Energy chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty.
The meeting focused on the development of bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy, the largest nuclear facility in India and a flagship project of Russia-India energy cooperation. Upon completion, the Kudankulam plant will comprise six VVER-1000 reactors, with a total installed capacity of 6,000 MW. "Z NEWS, HT
