AGARTALA, March 24 (TIWN): The second ‘border haat’ here in Tripura at Kamalasagar under Shipahijala District is ready for its inauguration. Talking to TIWN today Sipahijala District Magistrate & Collector (DM) Prashant Kumar Goyal said that a meeting will be held with the Bangladesh Brahmanbaria District administration during the 1st week of April. Adding to that Goyal said, though the meeting was scheduled to be held recently but due to the political unrest in Bangladesh the meeting was deferred to the 1st week of April.DM Prashant Kumar Goyal informed that the second ‘border haat’ at Kamalasagar is readied for its inauguration. The border haat is like to be opened on the month of April. Goyal said, “A meeting will be held during the first week of April.” Adding to that he said that the meeting with Bangladesh Brahmanbaria administration was scheduled to be held recently but due to the political unrest in Bangladesh the meeting has been deferred on April.Asked about the issues to be taken up in the meeting, Goyal said that the progress work of the border haat Kamalasagar will be reviewed in the meeting. He also said that the clear picture of the schedule date of the inauguration of the haat will come up likely on April 6th or 7th.

Goyal mentioned that during the visit of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi Jan 10-13, 2010, India and Bangladesh decided to set up the 'Border Haats' to boost local trade and for people-to-people contact.

Earlier Minister Tapan Chakroborty said, “The second ‘border haat’ of the State, built at a cost of Rs 2.44 crore is ready at Kamalasagar, bordering the Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh, about 28 km from here and an LCS at Srimantapur, bordering Comilla district of the neighbouring country, about 52 km from here are now ready for inauguration. We would soon invite Commerce and Industry ministers of Government of India and Bangladesh.”

However it worthy to be mentioned here that the first border ‘haat’ or market along the Tripura-Bangladesh frontier at Srinagar in South Tripura district, about 140 km from here, was inaugurated onJanuary 13. Union Commerce Minister NirmalaSitharaman and her Bangladeshi counterpart Tofile Ahmed had jointly inaugurated the first border haat along the Tripura-Bangladesh border. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and MP Jiten Chowdhury were also present on the occasion.

The officials said, "We expect that the trade between Bangladesh and Tripura alone would cross Rs.500 crore annually within the next three years. There is a huge scope of increasing trade between Bangladesh and northeastern states of India." Two 'Border Haats' had already been set up in 2012 at Meghalaya's Kalaichar (India)-Baliamari (Bangladesh) and Dalora (Bangladesh)-Balat (India). Four northeastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam - share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh, parts of which are unfenced and run through dense forests, making it porous and vulnerable.

"If the existing border infrastructure is upgraded, the volume of trade and business between Bangladesh and northeastern states of India would be increased five to six times of the current level," the official said.

Business in the ‘haat’ would take place once a week among people living within 5 km radius of the border who would sell and buy locally produced goods and crops. No local taxes would be imposed on the items sold in the haats and currencies of both the countries would be accepted.