The Kasba Border Haat in Brahmanbaria, jointly funded by the governments of Bangladesh and India, has been closed for more than two years, piling losses on the traders with no end to their troubles in sight.
The Haat Management Committee of the two neighbouring countries announced its closure for an indefinite period from 10 March 2020 when the outbreak of Covid-19 started in the country.
As a result, the haat traders are living in extreme financial hardship. The management committee is not able to say anything clearly about when the market will be opened.
Located on the border of Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura state of India and Tarapur of Kasba upazila of Brahmanbaria, the market started its journey in June 2015 for the convenience of the residents of the border areas of India and Bangladesh.
Traders said that before the closure, Bangladeshi traders used to sell goods worth at least Tk10,000-20,000 on a haat day while Indian businessmen used to sell products worth Tk50,000-Tk1 lakh.
A Bangladeshi businessman in the border market, said he used to sell various household products in the haat. He bought goods worth Tk 2 lakh before the market was closed.
Later, he had to sell some products at a lower price in the local market but he still had several products unsold.
In addition, the two workers who used to work in his shop are now unemployed due to the closure of the market. He said that the market management committee did not provide any help to the traders.
Another businessman said he bought winter clothes worth Tk1.5 lakh. He could not sell those as the haat was closed. He could not even sell those at local markets.
"Many traders like me are suffering financially due to the market being closed for a long time. Now everything is running normally, so the border market should open as soon as possible," he said.
There are 100 shops in the market, 50 each in the two countries. The market used to run every Sunday from 10am to 4pm. And, 1,000 people who live within five kilometres of the borders are given tickets to enter the market. Among the Indian products, cosmetics, sarees, three-pieces and baby diapers were in high demand while clothes, plastic, iron products and crockery items were the most-sold Bangladeshi products.
According to the Kasba border haat authorities, Bangladeshi products worth Tk 26.98 lakh were sold in December 2019. In January and February 2020, products worth Tk 37.72 lakh and Tk20.77 lakh were sold. Kasba Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Border Haat Management Committee member Masud Ul Alam told Bangladesh Post, "This is a bilateral issue. So far we have not been told anything specific about the opening of the market. However, India's border haat managing committee is interested in opening the market.
If the governments of the two countries decide to open the haat, we will open it by carrying out the necessary renovation work." Talking to the people, it is learnt that Border Haat started in June 2015 at Kasba Tarapur border of Brahmanbaria for the residents of the 5 km area on the border between India and Bangladesh.
There are a total of 100 shops in the market, 50 each of the two countries. Cloth, plastic and iron products were mostly bought and sold among the Bangladeshi products at Basa Market every Sunday.
And among Indian products, demand for cosmetics, sarees, three-pieces and baby diapers was high. However, due to the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, the activities of border haats have been suspended indefinitely from March 10, 2020, the haat management committees of the two countries have announced.
However, the traders expressed their dissatisfaction that the markets were not opened even after the corona situation was brought under control. Many people are spending their days in extreme financial difficulties due to not being able to do business for a long time.
Besides, many of the traders are not able to recover the price of the goods sold wholesale from the Indian traders.
However, Additional District Magistrate of Brahmanbaria and President of Border Hut Management Committee (Bangladesh part) Jasmine Sultana said that the infrastructure had been damaged due to the closure of the hut for a long time.
They are under renovation. After this is over, a decision will come from the Ministry of Commerce regarding the opening of the market. But so far no instructions have come regarding the opening of the market.