2024-08-31 23:09:30
Published: 21:31, 29 August 2024 Updated: 21:59, 29 August 2024
Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was supposed to build the Sheikh Hasina International Cricket Stadium ‘The Boat’ with its own funds. But BCB is withdrawing from that decision due to change of power. The name of the stadium, all will be changed. Therefore, the board has canceled the tender for the construction of the stadium.
This decision was taken at the BCB board meeting on Thursday (August 29). The last date for submission of tenders was 30 August. The board canceled the tender a day ago.
The previous government had planned to build a full-fledged cricket complex on 37 and a half acres of land in the east of the capital. Under this project of about five thousand crore rupees, two fields including an international standard cricket stadium were supposed to be constructed. The board was allotted land from the government at a nominal price. BCB has spent half a hundred crore rupees for this stadium so far.
This money has been spent on consulting firms, stadium design and project work. BCB has earmarked Tk 250 crore for the project in the current financial year to increase the progress of work. This money was approved in the last board meeting of Nazmul Hasan Papan. But now the stadium cannot see the light.
The National Sports Council will be directly involved in any development and reforming sports establishment as per the constitution and rules of the National Sports Council. But BCB did not care about the Sports Ministry in making ‘The Boat’. But Farooq Ahmed’s board is not going in that direction. The board will discuss the next steps with the sports ministry. Therefore, BCB wants to stop all activities related to construction for the time being.
However, the process of finding a way to use the fields and wickets that have been made in place of the stadium is going on. Those concerned will visit the Purbachal Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in today’s board meeting, it was decided to hire an independent audit firm to find out where BCB’s income-expenditure and other discrepancies are correct and where corruption has occurred.
Yasin/Aminul