The new public library of the Batticaloa Municipal Council was formally opened on Wednesday morning in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with former MP and senior counsel M.A. Sumanthiran declaring the building open.
The project had stalled midway under previous administrations before being completed. The President also launched the library’s official website at the ceremony and planted a sapling on the grounds. The facility includes a dedicated unit to give children access to scientific and technological resources.
“Opening a library is akin to eliminating the need for a prison,” the President said, praising the Tamil community’s continued enthusiasm for reading at a time when reading habits are declining nationally.
Mayor K. Sivam Packiyanathan presented a commemorative memento. Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi, Eastern Province Governor Prof Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera, MPs Kandasamy Prabhu, G. Srineshan, S. Rasamanickam and M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, government and opposition members and municipal council representatives were present.
The opening was part of Dissanayake’s Eastern Province visit, which also produced a rule-of-law address on equal application of the law and a public meeting with Buddhist clergy.
