What happened
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced a ₹61,500 crore, about 630-km highway corridor linking Siliguri (West Bengal)–Guwahati (Assam)–Shillong (Meghalaya), plus a separate Gorakhpur–Siliguri expressway to improve UP–North East connectivity. The Siliguri–Guwahati stretch (~400 km) alone is pegged at about ₹30,000 crore. The corridor strengthens access around the strategic Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Neck).
Background
Other details: Jorabat–Barapani greenfield highway to cut Guwahati–Shillong distance from ~100 km to 66 km and time from ~2.5 hours to ~1 hour; Shillong–Silchar greenfield (~165 km vs current 230 km) to cut travel from ~8 hours to ~4 hours, with work order planned in November. Assam has ~265 road projects (~4,700 km, nearly ₹2 lakh crore) plus 31 more planned (~1,470 km, ~₹92,000 crore). A ₹8,970.20 crore Guwahati–Tezpur four-lane corridor (~135.87 km, BOT toll) was also cited.
Why it matters for exams
- North-East connectivity and Chicken’s Neck are UPSC GS-I/III favourites
- Project cost and length figures suit prelims
- Links infrastructure with strategic geography
Key facts for exams
- Minister: Nitin Gadkari, MoRTH
- Corridor cost / length: ₹61,500 crore / ~630 km
- Route: Siliguri–Guwahati–Shillong (+ Gorakhpur–Siliguri expressway)
- Siliguri–Guwahati: ~400 km, ~₹30,000 crore
- Strategic angle: Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Neck)
Practice MCQs
Q1. Approximate cost of the Siliguri–Guwahati–Shillong corridor announced by Gadkari?
- ₹30,000 crore
- ₹61,500 crore
- ₹84,084 crore
- ₹8,970 crore
Answer: B. About ₹61,500 crore.
Q2. The Siliguri Corridor is popularly called:
- Chicken’s Neck
- Parrot’s Beak
- Gateway of India
- Eastern Corridor
Answer: A. Chicken’s Neck.
Q3. Guwahati–Tezpur four-lane project cost cited was about:
- ₹30,000 crore
- ₹61,500 crore
- ₹8,970 crore
- ₹92,000 crore
Answer: C. ₹8,970.20 crore.
Source: The Economic Times / TOI reports (29 Sep 2026).