Educational institutions in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka and main port of Chittagong will close during World Cup matches in the cities to help ease congestion around the venues, tournament officials said on Friday. Bangladesh meet co-hosts India in the opening match of the tournament at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on February 19, two days after the opening ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, also in Dhaka.
Sri Lanka is the third co-host for the event. The decision to close the institutions was agreed at a meeting of the organisational committee attended by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, chief patron of the panel, late on Thursday. The closure will not only enable students to watch the matches on television at home but also ease traffic pressure on the city streets, which are regularly clogged with vehicles. "It is an effort to keep the streets easier for the cricket players, organisers and fans, including visitors," an official of the Prime Ministers Office told Reuters. Six group matches and two quarter-finals will be played in Dhaka and Chittagong. India will hold 29 matches, while Sri Lanka will host the remaining 12 contests.
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