The review meeting, held at Sukna on the outskirts of Siliguri on the third and final day of Shah’s three-day visit to West Bengal, focused on strengthening surveillance, improving coordination among security agencies and state authorities, and making the corridor more secure. The proposed triangular grid will comprise three new military garrisons at Dhubri in Assam, Kishanganj in Bihar and Chopra in West Bengal, Shah said at an Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) event in Siliguri on Friday.

“The Siliguri Corridor is one of the most sensitive areas that connect eight states and is crucial to national security. We have prepared a triangular grid comprising three new military garrisons at Dhubri in Assam, Kishanganj in Bihar and Chopra in West Bengal,” Shah had said.

The narrow corridor is the principal land link between the Northeast and the rest of the country and lies close to the international borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, adding to its strategic importance. At Saturday’s meeting, Shah stressed the need for greater coordination between central security forces, intelligence agencies, the West Bengal Police and the state administration.

Officials said the discussions also focused on enhancing border surveillance and establishing a framework for the proposed security grid. Shah also stressed a quadrangular approach to border security and directed all agencies to implement it in full spirit, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

He directed agencies to complete pending infrastructure projects in the corridor within a time-bound manner and increase their presence by establishing more institutions in the strategically sensitive area. “Emphasising the criticality of infrastructure projects in the corridor, Shah directed all agencies present to complete all pending works in a time-bound manner,” the MHA said.

The Home Minister also reviewed the security of vital installations in the corridor and directed agencies to take all necessary steps to protect them. He further directed authorities to keep the Siliguri Corridor free of encroachments and take measures to check illegal immigration.

The meeting also covered issues relating to Persons of Indian Origin, demographic changes, illegal immigration and border affairs, officials said. Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Army, Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Railway Protection Force (RPF), besides the West Bengal chief secretary and Director General of Police, attended the meeting.