Jaffna nursery re-opened

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 September 1998, 14:45 GMT]
A nursery and nutrition centre in Jaffna, that was formerly run by the Liberation Tigers, will be re-opened tomorrow.

The centre, situated in Maamunai, Vadamaradchi east, will be opened under the auspices of the local Divisional Secretary and the Maamunai Social Development Organisation. The centre was closed after the army moved into Jaffna.

When the centre was first opened 134 children attended, said sources in Maamunai. They said that a large number of children from poor fishing families benefited from the full meals and education provided by the centre.

The local development society had made many appeals in the past for assistance from the Sri Lankan government to restart the centre.

Meanwhile, an Environment Protection Board for Vadamaradchi was convened at the Amban Divisional Secretary's office yesterday. The board comprises village level and divisional level government officials and its objective is to prevent the destruction of mangroves and the removal of sand from the coast and low lying areas near the beaches of Vadamaradchi. The board appointed a supervisor to report and take action against environmental destruction in the region.

An official of the board said that the Liberation Tigers too, until recently, took action against destruction of mangroves and the removal of excessive quantities of sand from Vadamaradchi east.