Kalaichar (Meghalaya)/Baliamari (Bangladesh) border haat is expected to be operational from July 16.
In a statement here today, Meghalaya's West Garo hills district Deputy Commissioner Sanjay K Goyal said the joint Border Haat Management Committee (Meghalaya and Bangladesh) had fixed first Wednesday of every week as haat day.
He said the time schedule of the Haat operation would be Summer (March to September: 09:30 AM to 03:30 PM IST) and Winter (October to February: 09:30 AM to 02:30 PM IST).
Mr Goyal said the Border Security Force and Meghalaya police would ensure security cover during the haat days.
''Traders would be allowed to wear minimal ornaments to the haat as permitted by the customs officials and the use of cell phones and sim cards inside the haat premises is strictly prohibited, '' the Meghalaya official said.
The Kalaichar Border Haat Management Committee provided the list of 25 vendors and 69 vendees to the Baliamari Border Haat Management Committee of Bangladesh who in turn furnished their list of 25 vendors.
''All the registered vendor and vendees would be issued an identity card especially designed for the purpose to be issued by the respective district administration,'' Mr Goyal said.
He said the Meghalaya government will also set up a Common Facility Centre on the zero line after the monsoon season which will house the Haat Committee office, health units and money exchange counters among other things.
The border haats were booming centres of business before creation of Bangladesh. But they were abruptly stopped by the Centre and most villagers from the border areas now sell their perishable agricultural items here in the state capital under immense duress.
'' The border markets if revived would help revitalise the rich tradition and culture of the past, besides ironing out misunderstanding between India and Bangladesh, '' a border villager said.
In fact, a senior Border Security Force official said that the revival of traditional border haats (markets) would boost the self-confidence of the local people along the Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya.
''There is no security risk in opening these border haats, but we will work together with Customs and the local police would provide security in these border haats once its operationalise,'' he said.
Years ago the village economy flourished through barter system (exchange of goods) between the Khasi villagers and the people from neighbouring Bangladesh.
However, the closure of border haats on the pretext of ''security'' plunged the border villagers in a state of gloom for they depended largely on border trade to eke out their living.