Shillong, May 9: The Meghalaya Government is trying to sell Jaintia Hills district as an affordable tourist destination to tourists from Bangladesh.

Ties between Jaintia Hills and Bangladesh dates back to pre-independence days, when Jaintiapur (now in Bangladesh) used to be the capital of Jaintia hills. Legendary freedom fighter U Tirot Sing from Jaintia Hills was also lodged in Dhaka jail by the Britishers.

Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner Frederick Roy Kharkongor told The Indian Express on Friday that the historical ties will be fully exploited to promote tourism between Bangladesh and Jaintia Hills. The district is also known for its caves.

Last week, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Advisor to Bangladesh Government on Tourism, Muklesh Ur Rehman led a delegation of tour operators to Jaintia Hills to explore the possibility of increasing the flow of tourism.

Kharkongor said the thrust was to sell Jaintia Hills as a tourist destination in Bangladesh. He said the target group will be both Bangladeshi citizens and the diplomatic fraternity in Dhaka. “Jaintia Hills is only an hour and half journey from Dhaka by road. Besides, transport is pretty cheap and it can be promoted as a weekend destination to both the diplomatic community and the Bangladesh tourists.”

Earlier during their visit to Delhi, CM Donkupar Roy and state Planning Board Chairman P A Sangma requested PM Manmohan Singh to open a visa office in Jaintia Hills.