The Siliguri GRP has asked for 500 extra personnel to tighten security along one of India’s most sensitive railway corridors, called as the Chicken's Neck. The force has sent a recruitment proposal to the state police headquarters, seeking 400 constables and 100 officers at the ASI and SI levels.
The request comes as the railway police struggle to keep pace with security demands on routes linking India with Bangladesh and Nepal, while also looking after New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Railway Station. A steady rise in drug and liquor smuggling has only added to the pressure.
Why Does Siliguri GRP Need More Police Personnel?
At present, the force works with roughly 450 personnel, about 150 ASIs and SIs and 300 constables. Its jurisdiction stretches from Murshidabad to Alipurduar and covers nearly 10 police stations and outposts between Malda and Alipurduar. The railway police handle several key cross-border routes, including Haldibari, Radhikapur-Biral and Singhabad-Rahanpur on the India-Bangladesh border. They also cover Naxalbari, Galgalia and Thakurganj railway areas near the India-Nepal border.
Security at NJP, a major junction linking the Northeast with the rest of the country, also falls under their watch. The force also provides security for 10 trains running from stations such as NJP and Alipurduar. The workload is only expected to grow as railway infrastructure in the region expands. NJP is being developed as a bigger hub, and the Centre has announced plans for an underground railway network between Islampur and Siliguri- an area of strategic importance in the Siliguri Corridor, better known as the Chicken’s Neck.
Siliguri GRP Seizes Drugs And Liquor From Trains
Smuggling through the railway network remains a serious headache for the force. Since July, it has seized around 1,700 litres of alcohol, 800 kg of marijuana, 9 kg of brown sugar, 6 kg of Yaba and 1,500 bottles of banned cough syrup. The GRP has registered 130 cases and arrested 130 people allegedly linked to these activities. Of those cases, 65 involved drug trafficking and 51 were related to liquor smuggling.
The seizures have also underlined the strain on the existing staff, who must investigate cases while keeping up with surveillance and security duties across multiple railway routes.
What Did Siliguri GRP SP Say?
Siliguri GRP Superintendent of Police Indravadan Jha said the force was managing its responsibilities despite the limited manpower. He reported that 65 consignments of narcotics and 51 consignments of liquor had been seized over the past four months. Jha added that 130 people allegedly involved in smuggling networks had been arrested and that investigations were being conducted in line with the state government’s zero-tolerance policy on drug trafficking. The proposed recruitment of 500 personnel is expected to give the force a stronger hand in monitoring trains, securing railway stations and pursuing smuggling cases.