India and Bangladesh agreed to
improve the Indo-Bangladesh border haats (small markets) as special economic
centres aimed at expanding cross-border trades, along their border in Tripura,
Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya to boost local trade and economy. One such border
haat was setup at Meghalaya’s border with Bangladesh in 2012.
The United Nations Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asian Development
Bank and the Meghalaya state government had organised a regional meeting where
the government representatives of Nepal and Bhutan had also participated.
The Meghalaya government proposed
to Bangladesh to set up 22 new border haats across the 443- kilometre long
Bangladesh - Meghalaya border. Currently, Bangladesh and Meghalaya have two
border haats - one at Kalaichar in West Garo Hill district and Baliamari of
Kurigram district, and another in Balat and Lauwaghar in Sunamganj district.
“Border Haat” means makeshift
bazaar at a certain point of zero line of the India-Bangladesh border for
allowing villagers of both the countries to market and shop each other’s
products once in a week.
However, the initiative of
boosting the country's trade with India through border haats did not draw results
as desired as India had imposed some restrictions on selling Bangladesh's
products which could not attract Indian traders and consumers at the bordering
areas. As a result, both Bangladeshi and Indian traders were disheartened and
they lost their interest to run their businesses at the haats as necessary
facilities had not been developed.
Tripura MP - Jiten Chaudhury in a
recent seminar on India-Bangladesh relations conveyed that there was demand for
more than 100 border haats in the state’s border with Bangladesh. Their centre
has cleared 4 border haats on Tripura-Bangladesh border and as many on the
Meghalaya-Bangladesh border and only a few of them are complete.
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 INR. 2 – 3 crore to develop infrastructure in these
border haats.
The haats are to be set up within
five km 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.
0 comments:
Post a Comment