Northeast, Feb 5: Six more Border Haats (markets) — four in Meghalaya and two in Tripura — have been approved by India and Bangladesh governments to promote the local business and livelihood of the people living alongside the frontiers while four “Border Haats”, were set up along borders of the two countries — with Meghalaya and Tripura in between 2011 and 2015, officials said on Friday.
Senior officials of Tripura’s Industries and Commerce Department said that the state government has proposed to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries to sanction eight more Border Haats along the state’s border with Bangladesh.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi laid the foundation stone for Kamalpur (India) – Kurmaghat (in Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh) Border Haat in eastern Tripura on Thursday. Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh, Vikram K. Doraiswami was also present on the occasion.
The official, on the condition of anonymity, said that the Indian and Bangladeshi governments also approved to set up another Border Haats in Raghna (India)-Batuli (Bangladesh) along with northern Tripura.
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The First Border Haat:
The first “Border Haat” started functioning on July 23, 2011, at Kalaichar (India)-Kurigram (Bangladesh) in the West Garo Hills of Meghalaya. Three other such border markets followed at Balat (Meghalaya, India)-Dolora (Bangladesh) in 2012, Srinagar (Tripura, India)-Chhagalnaiya (Bangladesh) and Kamnalasagar (Tripura, India )-Kasba (Bangladesh) in 2015.
These Border Haat in around 5,625 sq. metre areas of two countries’ territories or ‘no-man’s land’ operate once a week on a fixed day. On the weekly market day, on average, at least 25 vendors including women from both sides of the borders from the two countries participate at Border Haat and sell their various products comprising agricultural, cottage and small enterprises and domestic products.
These four Border Haats, however, have remained closed since March 2020 as precautionary measures against the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown, causing immense loss to the people living bordering villages.
