SHILLONG, OCT 24: The closure of the border haat has severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of people living along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Mawsynram, East Khasi Hills, UDP legislator Olan Suin stated on Thursday.

Suin told reporters that the halt in transactions and trade has brought income generation activities to a standstill, affecting the local economy.

“The market that the border people used to buy and sell has come to a standstill now as there is no transaction, nothing. So it has badly affected the life and livelihood of the border people because the market is totally closed now,” Suin said.

He added that some people who depend on the border haat for their livelihood are now forced to explore alternative means of survival.

Suin stated that people are reverting to agriculture, but this is only enough to sustain them, not to grow or prosper. “If you want to grow, you have to take extra activities,” he emphasized.