– The new Public Library Building of the Batticaloa Municipal Council was officially vested in the public on Tuesday (20) in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with former Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran ceremonially declaring the building open.

Coinciding with the event, the official website of the library was also launched by the President.Addressing the gathering, President Dissanayake said he was pleased to witness the successful completion of the library project, which had previously remained stalled midway through construction.A key feature of the newly opened facility is a dedicated unit designed to provide children with access to scientific and technological knowledge.The President said that, at a time when reading habits are gradually declining across the country, the continued enthusiasm for reading among the Tamil community deserves recognition. He remarked that opening a library is comparable to reducing the need for prisons, expressing confidence that the new Batticaloa Public Library would help preserve and strengthen the reading culture among Tamil readers.

Following the opening ceremony, the President toured the new library building and held cordial discussions with staff members of the Batticaloa Municipal Council. During the event, Mayor K. Sivam Packiyanathan presented a commemorative memento to the President.To mark the occasion, President Dissanayake also planted a sapling within the library premises.

Among those present at the event were Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, Eastern Province Governor Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera, as well as Kandasamy Prabhu, G. Srineshan, S. Rasamanickam and M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, together with government and opposition Members of Parliament, Batticaloa Municipal Council members and state officials.