Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong is all dolled up ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2014. Adorned with art installations and illuminations, the port city is going to host the international tournament beginning on March 16. The photos were taken yesterday. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

The government aims at collecting Tk 100 crore from the private sector for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and an event to set the world record for singing of national anthem by the highest number of people, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday.
Of the amount, Tk 50 crore will be required for the tournament while the rest for arranging the national anthem event to be participated by over three lakh people at the National Parade Ground on March 26, he added.  
The minister even said toll collection of this type is a common practice.
“I do a lot of toll collection for the government…,” Muhith told reporters emerging from a meeting of the purchase committee at the Cabinet Division.

Just one meeting was enough for this in the past, he said. “But this time I have had to hold four meetings.”
The finance minister mentioned that earlier they used to collect funds of Tk 3 to 5 crore from telecom operators and bankers. But now the government, for the first time, will collect funds from big corporate houses and foreign banks as well.
Muhith said the hosting of the T20 World Cup, beginning on March 16, will require a lot of money, adding that they have already spent Tk 25 crore through budgetary allocation for this.
But, he said, there was no allocation in the budget for the national anthem event, which is being organised by the Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs.
It is learnt that a big portion of the amount allocated for the T20 World Cup will actually be spent for arranging a concert on March 13 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Titled BCB Celebration Concert, the show is organised right ahead of the T20 World Cup. But it is not related to the tournament or in the ICC's programme schedule.
“This concert is being organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board as a celebration of Bangladesh cricket and not as part of T20 World Cup ceremonies. The concert will neither be telecast worldwide nor feature any of the participating teams. There will be no colourful opening ceremony either,” said a high official of BCB preferring anonymity.
The government has already allocated Tk 115 crore for renovation of venues and beautification of host cities for the T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the decision to collect funds from corporate houses has drawn mixed reactions.
The managing director of a private bank told The Daily Star that a letter from Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) has asked each bank to give Tk 1 crore to the government. Preferring anonymity, the managing director said collecting money from banks on every occasion is not a right thing to do.