West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari’s Big Move On Chicken’s Neck Corridor, Highways Handed To Centre

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]did take was to hand over and clear a highway transfer from the state government to uh the central government.

[00:00:08]As far as the projects over chickens neck is concerned, this is a siliguri corridor. In fact, just 2 days after Suentoari took over as the chief minister, the center had sent out a letter to the West Bengal government talking about how it was important to expedite these particular projects in that area. This is that letter that CNN News8 has exclusively accessed. Aman Sharma will be joining us shortly and getting and getting us details of what the cent's move has been. But this is that letter that has been accessed by Aman for us. This is a letter that is dated April 2026. It is written to uh the secretary of uh the PWD in West Bengal government coming in from uh the central government and it talks about uh the land that has to be given to the center something that hasn't been done for months together. It talks about how development and maintenance of roads especially along the Bengal sikim border are not fortified enough are not maintained enough because the state government up until now which was the TMC was acting as a hindrance due to the non-handing over and taking over maintenance of important stretches is not being done leading to a potential disruption of true traffic to Sikkim northeast and other parts of West Bengal. This is what that letter said.

[00:01:23]Aman you've accessed this letter for us.

[00:01:25]This is a letter dated April. We're given to understand that it was just a few um weeks before a few days before Suendo Wadikari actually took over as the chief minister of West Bengal where the center had highlighted how it's going to be a big connectivity problem for neighboring states if West Bengal does not hand over or does not expedite this process. Well, yes, Punam. Uh, see what has happened is that in the month of January, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Union Ministry had issued a notification that certain very important strategic highways which were under the state PWD in West Bengal including some that pass through the chickens corridor, some which are there leading up to Bhutan and Bangladesh, they should be handed over to the center to the NHI because they are in very poor state and they need development, they need maintenance.

[00:02:16]But since January till the till the MTA banji government was there till May 4th these particular highways were not handed over. The letter we are reporting is dated April but actually it was sent on 11th May to the state of West Bengal just two days after Shuendu Adikari took over as the chief minister and I read out from this letter and clearly says that due to the non-handing over and the taking over by the center maintenance of important stretches is not being done that could lead to a potential disruption of through traffic to Sikkim northeast and other parts of West Bengal. In fact, the letter clearly paints out the exasperation of the center that the MTA Banerjee government was not handing over these stretches to the center for upkeep and maintenance though they were in bad shape and though they were so vital for national security. In fact, the letter says Punam that the NHCL a body under the NHI was asked to take over the stretch immediately and not wait any longer for the state government's instruction.

[00:03:18]Shuendu Adatiari took immediate action on this letter on 9th May. He had taken over 11th May. This particular letter is written which is there in my hands and we can show it on the screen as well. On 16th May itself, Shuindu Adiari issued an order. The government issued a statement saying that all these seven important stretches will be handed over to the NHI. They've already been in principal approval has been given and the maintenance and the development work I must tell you from my sources has already begun. Now on these stretches and these are very important stretches punam especially the NH10 the section from civio army containment to the west Bengal sictim border passes right through the chicken corridor it's a very important strategic road very important because there's a army contonement also on this road and that is why the the west Bengal government under shuenduikari has acted immediately and said that these all these roads will be handed over to NHI so this actually paints the picture that for months you know the center was pleading to the west Bengal government the mtabani government to hand over these roads but it was not being done as was earlier reporting the same was been done for the border land you know these fences on the border which have to be made there are law large part of unfenced border between West Bengal and Bangladesh and for the last one year the BSF had been similarly asking Mabanoji government for this land in fact just a month punam the high court of West Bengal the Kolkata high court pulled up the Mab Banerji government saying that you're playing with national security by delaying the transfer of this land and today we are believing as Anand was reporting that there's a very important meeting on Nabana which is right now on with CM Shuendu Adikari there with the BSF officers and that particular borderland is also being immediately handed over to the BSF. Two big important decisions by Shuendu Adikari handing over the borderland to the BSF and handing off the over these very important highway stretches in the chicken corridor from Siliguri and beyond to the NHGI >> and it's not just about connectivity isn't it as far as this chicken's neck corridor is concerned it's also about uh national security because this particular corridor is a vital choke point so to say which is why the transfer of this land for seven national highways is extremely crucial. Well, absolutely and in normal circumstances when the NHI asks the state PWD department to hand over the highways to the NHI many states happily do that because you know the entire maintenance of that stretch the road will become wider the maintenance responsibility goes to the center the state doesn't have to you know pay for it in the future so that many a time states are very happy to hand over their stretches to the NH in fact many states punam appeal to the center to take over highways because they feel the traffic has grown but this was one unique case where the West Bengal government was actually blocking you know transferring the street PW highways to the center even though the center has been demanding it since the month of January saying that the upkeep of these roads is very bad. These are small roads you know if the disruption happens very important lifeline to the uh you know the northeast to Sikkim to even the Bangladesh border gets disrupted but still for reasons best known to the Ursw Maab Banachi government this was not done but now Shuenduadiari government as soon as he took over within three to four days we have seen both these big steps happen handing over land to the BSF on the border and handing over these important highways in the chicken neck to the NHI >> so national security is something that has been number one priority as far as as the BJP government is concerned in West Bengal. It's also something that the BJP has been uh uh attacking the TMC especially on campaign trail in election season as well. What has been the TMC's defense so far, Aman? Because they faced legal hurdles over not handing over this uh lands to the BSF as well. What has the TMC's version been so far as to why they hadn't done this all this long?

[00:06:57]>> We'll see Punam, there has been a I would say what the agencies tell as a dillydalling attitude. In fact, before the Kolkata High Court last month when the West Bengal government was to give a status report to the court on what they had done to hand over the borderland to the BSF, no status report was submitted.

[00:07:11]The court came down very heavily on the West Bengal government saying that this shows a very non-serious attitude of not cooperating with the center. You know, you can have political differences. Of course, the TMC and the BJP have sharp political differences, but that should not come in the way of national security. And the court in that particular case had said the same that this is a national security issue. Why do you want to keep the border unfetched? You should give the land to the BSF. Even in this letter, the what the ministry of road transport and highways wrote to the West Bengal government on 11th May. They clearly say that you know the gazette notification for handing over these highways was passed on 16th January and you know we the these highways were entrusted to the NHI for their development and maintenance but they still have not been handed over and they said in fact if we don't want to hand them over we will immediately take them over on our own.

[00:07:57]Now thankfully for the center you know now there's the BJP government that that situation did not arise and Shuendu Adikari acted very quickly within the next 3 to four days to realize that this is a matter of national security and those highways have been transferred but the West Bengal government what BJP says extended its political differences even to issues of not cooperating on the issues of national security which was very unfortunate and now the corrective steps are being taken by the BJP government in West Bengal.