Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday that Bangladesh's situation could not improve without India.

Speaking at a government function on World Tourism Day, he said the people of Bangladesh should remember India's contribution to their independence.

"There is no point in talking about Bangladesh. We thought that flight services to Bangladesh would start by now, but the present situation there... It will happen for sure someday as without India, Bangladesh's situation cannot improve. They should understand the kind of sacrifices our Army made, and the help our people provided for Bangladesh's independence. It shouldn't be forgotten," he said.

"I will ask them repeatedly, remember how the people of Tripura helped for your independence. We provided help in every way possible... It cannot go on like the way things are in Bangladesh," he added.

Highlighting the initiatives taken by his government for promoting tourism, the CM said the government was planning to turn the Old Governor House, Pushpabant Palace, into a five-star hotel keeping its past glory intact.

"A team from the Taj group visited the state and saw the structure built by Birendra Kishore Manikya Bahadur. They are keen to turn the historic structure into a five-star hotel," he said.

Saha also underlined the need for professionalism while taking care of tourists.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a hotel management institute in West Tripura in 2022. I hope the students who are studying in the institute will contribute to the booming tourism industry of the state," he said.

In 2023-24, 4.69 lakh tourists visited the state and of them, 76,000 came from foreign nations, officials said.

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