Customs 'Haats off' to India Bangladesh Border Bazaar - New Haat in Tripura to be effective from 13th Jan

By Vijay Kumar

NOTIFICATION No.60/2011-Cus dated 14.07.2011 exempts certain goods imported into India from Bangladesh from the whole of the duty of customs. The importer has to produce evidence to the satisfaction of the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs, as the case may be, that such goods have, in fact, been locally produced in Bangladesh and are imported into India through the land route from Balat or Kalaich ar land customs station for sale in Balat or Kalaichar border haats.

Now Srinagar (Tripura) border is added as another border haat through which the goods can be imported. This Tripura border haat exemption will come into effect from 13th January 2015.

Haats are weekly rural bazaars that happen on a weekly basis across thousands of villages in India. We talk so much of FDI in retail and WalMart, but these Haats of India have more retail outlets than WalMart and they offer a variety that the best of WalMart stores can never dream of providing. With most rural people being regular visitors to Haats (including about 40% women), these Haats can if properly used, change the political and economic scenario of the country. And no WalMart can drive out these Haats .

Notification No. 02/2015-Cus., Dated: January 06, 2015