Officials at different departments under respective ministries are now busy finding funds for the preparations that include renting trucks for over 'two weeks', creating replicas of structures built within the last four years, writing festoons and banners, and printing booklets for distribution during the day-long event. Some ministries, such as the cultural ministry would have to higher indigenous people and artists to perform on truck-tops during the parade.

With miniature replicas in hands representatives from all the 37 ministries met at the home ministry on Tuesday with the state minister for home affairs in the chair. Each ministry was asked to bear the expenses for the parade from their own funds, all combined which would be over TK 2 crore, home ministry sources said.

After the parade is over, the decorated trucks would be moving from area to area throughout the city on March 26 Independence Day. Official sources said several departments in the meeting expressed their inability to meet the expenses due to fund constraints but when the top bosses asked them to contact the Prime Minister's Office, they went mum.

Officials at different departments said the move was a 'tactic clearly aimed at a campaign for the up coming general election' at the expense of public funds.