Tripura wants 100 border 'haats' with Bangladesh

Despite some occasional anti-Bangladesh tirades in Assam, other Indian border states are warming up to its eastern neighbour, seeking more local trade.

Tripura, the most friendly Indian state towards Bangladesh, is seeking at least 100 border 'haats' or markets to boost local trade , even its export-import with Bangladesh picks up sharply.

Meghalaya is also seeking at least 22 'border haats'.

Tripura MP Jiten Chaudhury has told a recent seminar on India-Bangladesh relations here that there was a demand for more than 100 ‘border haats’ in the state's border with Bangladesh.

"Our people are used to open border with Bangladesh and now with the barbed wire fencing, trade and exchanges are suffering. So people want border haats for local trade at all possible places," Jiten Chaudhury told a recent seminar at Calcutta's Maulana Azad Institute of Asian Studies here.

He later told local website www. tripurainfoway.com that people all along Tripura's long border with Bangladesh want open trade with Bangladesh and the rising demand for more and more ‘border haats’ are a result of that.

The BSF has also cleared the proposals for the’ border haats’ keeping in view the local demand.

The Centre has cleared four border haats on Tripura-Bangladesh border and as many on the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border and only a few of them are complete.

Work for the setting up of the second of the four proposed ‘border haats' along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura began in May this year.

The work for the first ‘border haat’ is going on in the southern Tripura's border town Sabroom, 135 km south of Agartala.

India and Bangladesh have agreed to set up ‘border haats’ along their border in Tripura, Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya to boost local trade and economy.

One was set up at Meghalaya's border with Bangladesh in 2011.

The Tripura government has proposed to set up four 'border haats' along the border with Bangladesh. Both Indian and Bangladesh government have also agreed to this proposal.

India's commerce ministry has been providing Rs 2-3 crore to develop infrastructure in these ‘border haats’.

The haats are to be set up within five kilometres of the international border.

They will sell local agricultural and horticultural products, spices, minor forest products (excluding timber), fresh and dry fish, dairy and poultry products, cottage industry items, wooden furniture, handloom and handicraft items.

Trading in these bazaars would be held once or twice a week, and a spending cap of $50 will be imposed per head.

No local tax will be imposed on the trading. Both Indian and Bangladeshi currencies will be accepted.

Four north eastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam - share a 1,880 km border with Bangladesh, while Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share a 1,640 km unfenced border with Myanmar.

But after the Tripura government took the initiative, it has been flooded with requests, mostly through local units of the ruling party for more border haats.

Same is the case with Meghalaya.

Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma told TIWN recently that his government is finalising a proposal for 22 border haats.

There is no indication as yet from Tripura government how many such proposals they will finalise but pressure is huge for opening more and more.

"But if we respond to popular demand, we may have to open around 100 such haats. The BSF has also cleared these haats because they realise these are bonafide local level demand," Jiten Chaudhury said.