'Amarindu' Project gives youth new meaning to life

BORELLA Police, playing a different kind of role from their "official duty of policing the public" has ventured into a new area to help people, specially the youth of the Police Division, in pursuance of the goals set by Range One, Senior DIG H.M. Sirisena Herath, while he was serving as the officer in charge of the Colombo Division in 2004.

His concept "Amarindu" has been very effective and the youth of the area now visit the Police office to be of service to the community and not as persons wanted by the Police for some offence or crime.

The idea behind the project was to free the youth from the influence of the current crime wave, to free them from drugs and crimes, get the public to desist and frown at various forms of corruption and make the road network free of accidents are the key areas of attention paid by the exponents of the project.

"Amarindu" is a word coined with the first letters of four words such as Aparadha (Crime) Math Drawya (Drugs) Riya Anathuru (Vehicle Accidents) and Dhushana (Corruption of various forms).

The Police has recognised drug addiction prevalent as the root cause of other offenses and they wanted to prevent the youth from becoming victims of drug addiction.

Hence the project was initiated after long study and surveying of the cases of those were led to imprisonment and be behind the parapet walls.

On September 10, one year after the project was launched, a ceremony was held at the YMBA Borella to recognise the various talents of the youth.The Police believe that if not for the project, the youth would have gone down the path of destruction.

The courses conducted by the project include bridal dress making, beauty culture and tailoring. The project began with 100 youth at Grand Pass and then it was spread to areas such as Mutwal, Dematagoda and Borella.

SI Thilakasiri said that the project has introduced other study courses apart from those mentioned which were suitable and appealing to the youth of the day. These project courses will help them to find their means of livlihood.

"We along with the support of the generous donors were able to provide 20 sewing machines to 20 young girls and are very thankful to Serendip Lion Club President Sita Balasuriya and SISIL Show Room manager Kevin Kurera for their support.

He said that they were also encouraged by the presence of DIG Colombo District Pujitha Jayasundara who attended the ceremony held at the YMBA, Borella. (Wiruma)