AGARTALA: The five ‘Border Haats’—two in Tripura and three in Meghalaya—have remained closed for an extended period, with their reopening uncertain due to the ongoing volatile situation in Bangladesh, officials said on Sunday.
These ‘Border Haats’ (border markets) along the India-Bangladesh borders have remained closed since March 2020 after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. However, three ‘Border Haats’ in East Khasi Hills District and South West Garo Hills District in Meghalaya reopened in 2022, and the South Tripura border market reopened in May last year. But these border markets again closed after the violence in Bangladesh began in June-July last year, especially after the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024.
A senior official of the Tripura Industries and Commerce Department said in Agartala that before the unrest began in Bangladesh in June-July last year, district administration officials of the concerned districts of the two countries held a series of meetings to reopen the ‘Border Haats’, but there has been no positive progress after that.
On average, around 25 to 27 vendors, including women from both sides of the border, participate in these weekly markets, selling a variety of goods and local produce.
The first ‘Border Haat’ was inaugurated in 2011 between Kalaichar in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district and Kurigram in Bangladesh. Following its success, additional haats were established in other parts of Meghalaya and Tripura.
According to Indian officials, before the recent unrest, the governments of India and Bangladesh had approved 10 more border haats—six in Meghalaya and four in Tripura—highlighting the initiative’s growing importance for cross-border trade and local economies. (IANS)
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