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Agartala: The Centre has raised the issue of reopening two border haats to promote local business and livelihood of people living on either side of the frontiers with Bangladesh.
The Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel, said in a letter to former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb that the functioning of the border haats at Kamlasagar in Sepahijala district and Srinagar in South Tripura district were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The four haats, two each in Tripura and Meghalaya, have remained closed since March 2020 after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdowns. It caused immense loss to the people living in the bordering villages.
The two haats in Meghalaya — at Balat (East Khasi Hills district) and Kalaichar (South West Garo Hills district) — were reopened last year and both are functional once a week now.
The officials of the Tripura Industries and Commerce Department said that the officials in Sepahijala and South Tripura district administrations had on a number of occasions approached their Bangladesh counterparts to reopen the border haats.
A Jaipur-based think tank, CUTS International, has done several studies on border trade. It had also recommended to the Indian government to resume these border markets maintaining necessary precautions against Covid-19, They clarified that these markets will boost the economy. Further, it will strengthen ties between the people of the two countries and also check illegal trade.
