Dhaka/New Delhi. India has one noble, Bangladesh has two – and both are even weaker. In common parlance, one is called ‘neck’ i.e. ‘neck’. The world often mentions India’s Siliguri Corridor and discusses the strategic difficulties surrounding the ‘chicken neck’. But, when Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma talked about the ‘chicken neck’ of Bangladesh, people looking at maps all over the world were shocked. Everyone has heard of India’s Siliguri Chicken Neck – that narrow corridor that connects the North-East. But neighboring Bangladesh has two such corridors which are narrower than those of India. If these two places are closed or cut off from the main part of the country, Bangladesh will lose a large area of its territory.
Bangladesh’s ‘double pressure point’ more dangerous
First Narrow Passage: Northern ‘Rangpur Chicken Neck’
Rangpur division located in the north of Bangladesh is completely dependent on this narrow area. This corridor is said to be about 80 kilometers long and 10–15 kilometers wide. If this route is closed, the 16,185 square kilometer area of Rangpur Division will be cut off from main Bangladesh and surrounded only by the Indian border. This area constitutes about 10.9% of the total area of Bangladesh. There are mainly paddy, jute and agro-based industries here. Experts believe that in case of erosion, this area may become administratively and commercially isolated from Dhaka, which will affect food supply and transportation.
If two corridors of Bangladesh are cut, 39% of the land will be separated: A geo-strategic analysis
Second narrow corridor: south-eastern ‘Chittagong Chicken Neck’
This corridor present in the south-east is about 28 kilometers long and less than 20 kilometers wide. It connects the country’s major port city of Chittagong and the hill districts—Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati and Bandarban—with the national infrastructure. This area is spread over 34,530 square kilometers and accounts for about 23.3% of the total area of Bangladesh. This is the area from where more than 80% of the country’s exports and imports come. Ports, maritime trade, border commerce and tourist economy are the hallmarks of this region. If this corridor is cut, the south-eastern region will be trapped between India and Myanmar and its land control from Dhaka may be lost.
How much of the total will be different?
If both the chicken necks are disrupted together, a total area of 50,715 square kilometers could be cut off from main Bangladesh. This will be about 34.2% of the total area of Bangladesh. Based on land area alone, this figure reaches approximately 39%. This is an imaginary situation right now, but if it becomes true then 30–45% of the country’s economy can be affected. Rail, road and electricity networks would be disrupted and exports would collapse as Chittagong port would collapse, while agricultural produce from Rangpur would not be able to reach Dhaka.
The secret of geography revealed by the statement of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma: Bangladesh has two ‘necks’ and both are fragile.
What will be the impact if this happens?
However, security experts believe that this situation is only theoretical. The 1972 friendship treaty, border agreements and trade route cooperation between India and Bangladesh prevent this from being possible. Bangladesh is not a geographically strong country, but its diplomacy balances this weakness. This study shows that Bangladesh has maintained its economic and political structure strong only because of international relations and border stability. (Note- These figures have been taken from sources like government census and Wikipedia which are based on data of 2022-2024.)
Bangladesh Chicken Neck Geographical weakness of
