PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina to Inaugurate a ‘Border Haat’

Modi and Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate a ‘border haat’ during Modi’s visit to Bangladesh.

(Photo: PTI)

Narendra Modi and Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate a border ‘haat’ (market) at Kamalasagar in Tripura’s Sipahijala district, which borders Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.

Inauguration will take place through video conferencing from Dhaka during Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh beginning from June 6.

The border haats are set up at the zero line of international border with one part on Indian side and the other in Bangladesh.

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

  -Shyamal Dev, senior manager of Tripura Industrial Development Corporation, the agency setting up border haats, told PTI.

Initially 16 items were short listed, including agricultural and horticultural crops, spices, minor forest products excluding timber, fish and dry fish, dairy and poultry products, cottage industry items, wooden furniture, hand-loom and handicraft items, he said.

Altogether four border ‘haats’ would be constructed in Tripura with the other two at Kamalpur in Dhalai district and Dharmanagar in North Tripura district, Dev said.