In a bold infrastructural and geopolitical move, the Indian government has approved the construction of a 166.8-kilometre high-speed highway connecting Shillong in Meghalaya to Silchar in Assam—entirely bypassing Bangladesh. The Rs 22,864 crore project, slated for completion by 2030, is being hailed as a strategic step to reduce India’s dependence on Dhaka for transit access to its northeastern region.

This four-lane expressway, stretching along National Highway 6 from Mawlyngkhung to Panchgram, will slash travel time between the two cities from 8.5 hours to just 5. More significantly, it will allow seamless connectivity between the Northeast and the Indian mainland without crossing international borders.

The project’s approval comes in the backdrop of growing unease between India and Bangladesh, marked by emerging trade restrictions and controversial diplomatic statements. While the two nations have maintained limited transit agreements enabling maritime access to the Northeast, New Delhi appears increasingly wary of Dhaka’s unpredictability in fulfilling long-term transit obligations.

Bangladesh’s interim chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus, recently called India’s Northeast a “landlocked” region that remains reliant on Bangladesh for maritime connectivity—an assertion that triggered sharp responses in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a veiled rebuke, urged Dhaka to practice diplomatic restraint, reaffirming India’s pursuit of independent connectivity routes that ensure national sovereignty.

Bypassing Bangladesh: A shift toward inland self-reliance

At present, the only consistent land link to India’s Northeast is the Siliguri Corridor—commonly referred to as the “Chicken’s Neck”—a narrow strip highly susceptible to logistical and security challenges. The new Shillong-Silchar highway aims to diversify India’s access to the region, particularly as policy barriers and shifting priorities in Bangladesh raise questions about long-term reliability.

Officials involved in the project assert that the decision to fast-track internal routes stems from “policy volatility” in Dhaka and the need to secure alternative logistics corridors without foreign dependence.

The Shillong-Silchar highway will connect directly with the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project—India’s flagship regional connectivity initiative. This corridor links Kolkata to Mizoram through Myanmar via sea and inland waterways, eventually connecting to the Indo-Myanmar border at Zorinpui.

“With the Shillong-Silchar route feeding into this system, India will establish a robust land-sea corridor to the Northeast—independent of Bangladeshi territory,” said an official of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

This integrated connectivity push forms a vital element of India’s Act East Policy, aimed at boosting trade, defense and diplomatic ties with Southeast Asia. Analysts believe the Shillong-Silchar project will transform Silchar into a pivotal logistics hub interfacing Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Barak Valley.

From dependence to detachment: Diminishing Dhaka’s role

In light of Dhaka’s increasingly assertive rhetoric and tightening policy levers, New Delhi’s decision to decouple from Bangladesh’s transit network signals a strategic realignment. While past governments worked to deepen cross-border transit cooperation, the current administration appears more inclined toward internal resilience than external reliance.

Analysts suggest this highway project reflects a broader regional rebalancing: India is asserting its autonomy in connectivity planning, while recalibrating diplomatic expectations with its eastern neighbour.

As tensions simmer, India’s investment in borderless, self-contained connectivity projects like the Shillong-Silchar highway offers a clear roadmap for navigating future uncertainty in South Asia. More than just an infrastructure project, this highway is being seen as a message—India intends to control its connectivity destiny, regardless of political headwinds from Dhaka.

In this evolving geopolitical landscape, the Shillong-Silchar highway stands as both a symbol of strategic autonomy and a tool for transforming India’s Northeast into a resilient, accessible and self-reliant frontier.