Five more border haats, weekly markets set up along the border of Bangladesh and India, are going to be launched along the border of two countries in Sylhet. The initiative of setting up the border haats (markets) has been taken in a bid to make life of people border areas of both the countries easier.
Additional Secretary of Commerce Ministry Md Shafiqul Islam revealed the information at a meeting at the conference room of Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Sylhet recently. Earlier, Bangladesh-India Joint Committee on Border Haat held a series of meetings on the issue, said Shafiqul Islam.
Following the meetings, the India-Bangladesh Joint Committee finalised the places for six more border haats in a bid to increase trade between the countries.
Some of the meetings was held in Sylhet on April 23 and 24. During the meetings, the Joint Committee reviewed the operation of the existing border haats and the status of the construction of the new haats.
Many people of Sylhet region said that the opening of more border haats will give the frontier villages a better market accessibility to their locally-produced goods.
Currently, four border haats exist along the Bangladesh-India borders. Amongst these there is one in Daluria in Sunamganj.
Already the border haat at the No Man's Land of Bholagonj area in Companyganj of Sylhet is under construction which is going to be launched this years, said the sources of Bangladesh-India Joint Border Haat Committee.
At the time, six more border haats are being constructed. Of the six border haats, five are in Sylhet division. People of border areas of both Bangladesh and India will be able to shop in the border haats and there will be businesses from both sides as well.
The preparations to launch the border haat at Bholaganj of Companiganj in December of this year are already under way. The other border haats are being built in Kamolganj in Moulvibazaar, Pachim Batuli at Juri of the district, Deyara Bazaar in Sunamganj and Sayedabad of Tahirpur.
The first border haat was jointly launched at Kalairchar in Kurigram and West Garo Hill district in Meghalaya in 2011.
