A-follow-up meeting that was designed to review and evaluate the progress of the ongoing population census in the Jaffna peninsula took place last Saturday at Jaffna Security Forces headquarters premises. It was attended by Divisional Secretaries, Grama Seva Officials, Statisticians, Civil Coordinating Officers, Senior Army and Police Officers and other administrative officials, attached to the Jaffna District Secretariat, the Army announced yesterday.

The much-needed census project, inaugurated on October 4, 2007, following an initiative taken by the Security Forces Headquarters, has already completed its work in Point Pedro, Karaveddi and Vadamarachchi Grama Seva divisions under 52 Division in the Peninsula. Thirty-one Grama Seva divisions in and around Jaffna center under 51 Division have already been covered in the census, the meeting was told. Except in seven Grama Seva divisions, the census on Kayts and other islets has been concluded with the help of Naval troops. Thirteen Grama Seva divisions in Themamarachchi area under 52 Division and six Grama Seva divisions under 55 Division remain to be covered shortly, officials of the Department of Statistics present at the meeting have reported.

The ongoing census work is assisted by respective Police stations, Army and Navy troops by way of providing security to all the Jaffna state officials. The meeting also agreed to expedite the remaining work and bring the census to a total completion within a matter of few weeks. Commander Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna Major General G. A. Chandrasiri presiding the meeting hailed the efforts of all the state officials in this connection and appealed all of them to extend their further support for the completion of the project that has been undertaken after a lapse of over fifteen years.

Additional GA for Jaffna A. Sivaswamy, Jaffna District Secretariat Statistician S. N. Gangatharan, Assistant Director Planning, Nallur S. Ravindraswamy, and all the Assistant Superintendents of Police in the Jaffna peninsula participated in the progress-review meeting."