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The stadium will be torn down after the World Twenty20
Bangladesh’s civil aviation and tourism minister Faruk Khan has revealed that the stadium currently being built in the popular tourist destination of Cox’s Bazar for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 will only be used on a temporary basis.
Khan added that the stadium, which is being built near the beach, will be torn down after the tournament in favour of a five-star resort, despite Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan stating that a permanent stadium will be built in the town.
The decision was made after an inter-ministerial meeting held in Dhaka, in which both Hassan and the BCB acting CEO Nizamuddin Ahmed were present.
“Under the PPP [Public Private Partnership] it has been confirmed that an international-standard five-star resort will be built at stadium’s current location,” Khan said. “The project is now in the PPP office but there will be no problem in hosting the World Twenty20 matches. All the structures have been designed on a temporary basis. We will decide later where the proper stadium will be built.”
Earlier in the year, the country’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina ordered the land, which used to be a golf club, to be handed over to the BCB, but as of right now, the land still remains in the hands of the civil aviation ministry.
According to reports, the ground will have boundary walls and temporary pavilions.
Hassan noted that the BCB could not do anything about the decision made at the inter-ministerial meeting.
“We didn’t meet formally earlier so there remained some confusion between us,” Hassan said. “But now we will do everything it takes to finish the work on the stadium in time. I believe there will be a beautiful stadium in Cox’s Bazar.
“There were a few issues regarding the location. We have to go with the government’s master plan and since there is a long procedure for the land transfer, we can hardly wait for all the formalities to take place. Plus, the BCB cannot afford to pay for an international-standard stadium itself.”