Geo-strategic factors in shaping the city of Siliguri in the foothills of the Himalayas

The paper proposes to look into the growth of the city of Siliguri at the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of West Bengal in India  through the perspective of its geo - strategic location  and geo politics of the region. Situated at close proximity to the international borders of Bangladesh , the two Himalayan states of Nepal and Bhutan  and erstwhile Tibet – now China, it is militarily sensitive. It is also the only connecting route to the North eastern states of India. Location of the city has attracted migrants from parts of India as well as the hills of  both Darjeeling and Sikkim. Economically its markets cater to the demand from these places , from Nepal  and to some extent from Bhutan as well. A small obscure village in the 19^th century, , the city began to develop  when the British colonial masters  established control over Darjeeling , and it became the fastest growing city of West Bengal before long.

Siliguri’s location so near China and the Indian concern for security  in the face of Chinese political expansion  in the region  has made it militarily vulnerable  and hence the growth of several military stations  and the huge push to infrastructural development to cater to the needs of the army.

It is the convergence  of the hills and the plains and the geopolitical and security concerns that have made the city so special in the midst of the agricultural plains of the Northern part of West Bengal.