Explained: How India aims to counter Bangladesh's ‘landlocked’ remark with Shillong-Silchar highway

The project will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and will feature 19 major bridges, 153 minor bridges, 326 culverts, 22 underpasses, 26 overpasses, eight limited-height subways, and 34 viaducts. (Representational Image)

In a major infra and strategic push for the northeastern region, the Centre has approved the construction of a high-speed four-lane highway from Shillong in Meghalaya to Silchar in Assam.

The 166.8-km corridor, approved at a cost of Rs 22,864 crore, will link the region to an international multi-modal transport route through Myanmar, bypassing reliance on Bangladesh for maritime access. This corridor will link to the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar, creating a sea route from Kolkata to the North-East, eliminating dependence on access through Bangladesh.

India's response to Bangladesh’s “landlocked” state label

The Indian Express in a report quoting a senior official from the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) described the project as a direct response to recent remarks by Bangladesh’s interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, who called North-East India “landlocked” and implied that Dhaka is the region’s only oceanic gateway. The official emphasized that this highway, along with the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project, will provide an alternative maritime route through Myanmar, effectively reducing dependence on Bangladesh for seaborne cargo access.

Kaladan multi modal transit transport

The Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar is being funded by the Ministry of External Affairs — and connects the Kolkata seaport to the Sittwe port on the Kaladan river in Myanmar's Rakhine state. The Sittwe port connects to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway and to Zorinpui in Mizoram through a road section. The NHIDCL officials are now planning to take the project further from Zorinpui to Lawngtlai to Aizawl in Mizoram.

How New Delhi wants to reduce its dependence on the 'chicken’s neck'

The project-- the 166.8-km corridor, also addresses India’s strategic vulnerability at the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow land link (also called the “Chicken’s Neck”) connecting the North-East to the rest of India. With restricted access through Bangladesh and complicated routes via Myanmar, the Shillong-Silchar highway offers a secure, direct land-sea route for cargo from Kolkata or Vizag to the North-East, through Myanmar.

Expected to be completed by 2030, the highway is not only a strategic military and logistical route but also a catalyst for economic development in the North-East. With improved road connectivity and reduced travel time, trade and tourism are expected to flourish.

The project will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and will feature 19 major bridges, 153 minor bridges, 326 culverts, 22 underpasses, 26 overpasses, eight limited-height subways, and 34 viaducts.