Bangladesh, Sept. 4 -- India's central government has allocated 20 billion rupees to construct a 31-kilometre, four-lane highway in the Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the "Chicken's Neck".

The highway will be built parallel to a section of the strategically important National Highway 27, Indian newspaper The Telegraph reports.

The central government believes that construction of the new highway will strengthen connectivity between the country's seven northeastern states and the rest of India.

Geographically, the "Chicken's Neck" runs close to the borders of Nepal and Bangladesh. The borders of China and Bhutan are also located very close to the corridor.

On Thursday, Indian Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced ...