Agartala: One of the two border haats or weekly trade marts along the Bangladesh border in Srinagar under South Tripura district of Tripura finally reopened for visitors, vendors and consumers on Tuesday after more than three years, after it was suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
This particular border trade point is a source of economic and cultural exchange between the local communities of South Tripura’s Sabroom subdivision in the Indian side and Bangladesh’s Feni district.
Thousands of people from different parts of Tripura and Bangladesh visited the market on its resumption. Speaking to EastMojo, District Magistrate South Tripura District Saju Waheed said, “More than three years have passed since the market was closed. I have been posted here for two years and the resumption of trade is a result of several rounds of meetings between the stakeholders and Border Haat Management Committees.”
A total of 1,200 vendors registered at the mart on Tuesday. “All the old vendors who had received ID cards as an approval to do business in this special site had been allowed to put up their shops in the sheds,” Waheed said.
The ID cards of most vendors expired as they could not do business for three years. The matter was raised in the last Border Management Committee meeting, where members unanimously agreed to extension of the validity of the ID cards.
“Accordingly, fresh cards with extended validity had been provided to all the vendors,” the DM added.
The Srinagar border haat is unique for the availability of fresh fish. “Most of the people come here to buy fresh fish that comes from Bangladesh. This is the most significant part of this mart,” the District Magistrate said.
People reportedly visit this market from faraway places to buy Hilsa fish.
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Meanwhile, the other Border Haat located at Kamalasagar in Sepahijala district is not considered very popular for fresh fish. On being contacted, an official of Industries and Commerce Department said, “The joint border haat management committee meeting for reopening of Kamalasagar Border Haat is scheduled to be held next week. Possibly, the second Haat will also be reopened later this month.”
Sources said six more Border Haats are proposed in different parts of Tripura in almost all districts of the state. Tripura shares 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh along three sides of the state’s geographical limits.
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