Guwahati : Following the establishment of three new Army bases in West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam to secure the strategic Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, Indian defence authorities are considering a fourth base in Mizoram, government sources told  .

Eastern Command General Officer Commanding (GOC) Lieutenant General R C Tiwari is scheduled to visit Thuampui near Aizawl on December 19 to survey potential sites for the new station. The move forms part of the Army’s broader strategy to strengthen defensive positions around the sensitive corridor and respond to potential threats from across the Bangladesh border.

Lt Gen Tiwari will be accompanied by 3rd Corps GOC Lt Gen Abhijit S Pendharkar and 17th Mountain Strike Corps GOC Lt Gen Yash Ahlawat.

During the visit, senior Assam Rifles and Border Security Force (BSF) officers will brief the delegation on operational requirements, followed by inspections of two key outposts-Parva in Lawngtlai district and Silsuri in Mamit district-along the India-Bangladesh border.

Parva holds strategic significance due to its proximity to both the India-Myanmar and India-Bangladesh borders, while Silsuri is a major settlement in the West Phaileng block of Mamit district. The Army plans to station a battalion from the Dimapur-based 3rd Corps at the new location, acting as a first line of defence against potential incursions by state and non-state actors.

The move comes amid broader initiatives by the BSF to modernise border infrastructure in Mizoram. According to Ministry of Home Affairs sources, over the next five years, 45 defensive structures-including bunkers, ring embankments, blast-proof shelters, and underground armouries-will be constructed across three battalion command areas in Silchar and Mizoram.

“These critical infrastructures have been prioritised based on operational sensitivity, threat perception, and vulnerability assessments,” the sources said. Existing BOPs (Border Outposts) along the Mizoram sector of the India-Bangladesh border, numbering 85, are being transformed into composite, future-ready operational hubs.

To date, 40 such structures have been completed in Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts, while work on 19 more has been sanctioned. Plans indicate that 26 BOPs will eventually feature all four key structures over the next five years.

The initiative complements earlier efforts to ring-fence the Siliguri Corridor, with bases already operational in Chopra (North Dinajpur, West Bengal), Kishanganj (Bihar), and Bamuni (Assam), creating a defensive arc protecting one of India’s most critical strategic chokepoints.