The new Public Library building of the Batticaloa Municipal Council was ceremonially handed over to the public this morning in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Former Member of Parliament M.A. Sumanthiran declared the building open.
In parallel with the opening ceremony, President Dissanayake also launched the official website of the library.
Addressing the gathering, he expressed satisfaction at the successful completion of the project, which had previously stalled midway.
A key feature of the new facility is a dedicated unit to provide children with scientific and technological knowledge. The President noted that, at a time when reading habits are declining nationwide, the Tamil community’s continued enthusiasm for reading deserves appreciation.
“Opening a library is akin to eliminating the need for a prison,” he remarked, voicing confidence that the new Batticaloa Public Library would help sustain and encourage the reading culture among the Tamil people.
The President toured the building, met with Municipal Council staff, received a commemorative memento from Mayor K. Sivam Packiyanathan, and planted a sapling within the premises to mark the occasion.
Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunneththi, Eastern Province Governor Professor Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera, Kandasamy Prabhu, G. Srineshan, S. Rasamanickam, M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, government and opposition MPs, members of the Batticaloa Municipal Council, and several state officials were present at the event. (Newswire)