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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

05th August 2016 23:28:17 Hours

Commander, Sensitive to Need for Drinking Water, Gets Students with a Water Scheme

Hundreds of school students at Utthuchenai Tamil Mixed School in Batticaloa, adjacent to Welikanda border became twice fortunate as one of their long-felt basic requirements, saw its fruition on Friday (5), consequent upon a personal initiative, taken by the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva who was sensitive to a recent Media report over non-availability of drinking water to students. 

Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, on watching a recent ‘Sirasa Gammedda’ programme which highlights shortages of human needs in far remote areas, has immediately taken up the issue of non-availability of drinking water to students at Utthuchenai Tamil Mixed School with Major General K.M.U Wijeratne, Commander, Security Forces - East (SF-E), who was promptly advised by the Commander to ensure those children are provided with drinking water at the expense of the Army. 

Major General Wijeratne as per directions of the Commander of the Army in turn obtained a first-hand report on the status quo and found that those students were dependent purely on water stocks, being carried to the place from outside areas since the existing drinking water tube well also remained out of order for some time. 

Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva at the same time instructed the Security Force Headquarters - East (SFHQ-E) to undertake the challenge and provide the students with water after constructing an overhead water tank in the school premises and restoring the supply in the defunct tube well directly to the water tank, using a pumping machine.

On Friday (5) morning, a simple ground-breaking ceremony saw the cornerstone was laid at the auspicious minute in the school premises by the Commander, SF-E for construction of the water tank, amid blessings of Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic religious rites. 

At the same time, Major General Wijeratne with the blessings of the Commander of the Army after observing the poor condition, promised to re-thatch and renovate the dilapidated main school building in the compound at Army’s cost before the next term begins in early September. 

The ceremony for foundation-laying took place in the presence of Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi, General Officer Commanding, 23 Division, Brigadier Athula Marasinghe, 232 Brigade Commander, Mr Chandana Sooriyabandara, Head, Sirasa TV channel, Mr Gunalingam, Zonal Director of Education, principal, teachers and several other visitors from the TV channel. A brief meeting followed the inaugural ceremony.