Siliguri, Aug 22 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to hold a series of meetings here on Saturday, with the security of the strategically important Siliguri Corridor and a "permanent political solution" to the long-standing issues of Darjeeling hills expected to dominate the agenda.According to the home minister's official itinerary, Shah is scheduled to chair two back-to-back meetings on the final day of his three-day West Bengal visit at the hotel he is putting up at Sukna on the outskirts of Siliguri town, starting at 11 am.

He is likely to depart for Delhi from Bagdogra airport around 2.30 pm.  Sources said Shah will review border security, with a focus on coordination among the BSF, SSB, intelligence agencies and the state administration.The meeting assumes significance given Siliguri's proximity to the international borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and the strategic importance of the narrow corridor connecting the northeast with the rest of the countryShah is also likely to meet elected representatives and political leaders from the Darjeeling hills to discuss the region's long-pending political issues.However, there was no official confirmation of this meeting. The meeting is expected to focus on the BJP's pre-poll promise of a "permanent political solution" for the Gorkha community and other residents of the hills.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung and its general secretary Roshan Giri are among the leaders expected to attend the meeting. The BJP's Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, state ministers and legislators from the hills are also likely to participate. The hills have for decades witnessed demands for a separate Gorkhaland state. Previous governments attempted to address the issue through arrangements such as the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and the Gorkhaland Territorial AdministrationShah, during his 2026 Assembly election campaigns, had promised a "permanent political solution", raising expectations among hill-based political groups for long-term peace and economic and political stability in the region.

Saturday's meetings come after Shah's engagements in Siliguri on Friday, when he visited the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Frontier Headquarters, inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for several infrastructure projects and reviewed border-security arrangements.He also inaugurated an exhibition on the three new criminal laws at Kawakhali.During Friday's programme, Shah strongly criticised the previous Mamata Banerjee government for "delays" in providing land required for border fencing and security infrastructure.He praised Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's government for expediting land transfers and cooperation with central security agencies.The Union home minister's Saturday engagements are also expected to follow his broader focus on strengthening security along the Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the "Chicken's Neck". 

Agencies