BALASORE: Sarpanch of Jagannathpur panchayat in Bhograi block Sasmita Patra has been running her office from a rented house since 2017. Sasmita pays the monthly rent of Rs 1,000 per month from the funds allocated to the panchayat and wishes these could be put to better use.
The panchayat, which was formed in 2017, comprises around 12 villages and has a population of 4,950. However, its Sarpanch office has no building of its own.
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Sasmita said neither the district administration nor the block development officer have responded to her repeated appeals for setting up an office so that the official works could be streamlined.
Carrying documents from home and taking them back at the end of the day has become a daily affair for the Sarpanch and her staff. Sasmita said she has staged protests demanding a permanent building for the office of Sarpanch but in vain.
She said Bhograi BDO Deeptiranjan Sethi had assured that the issue would be resolved soon but it has not happened yet.
Villagers Gouranga Mandal and Kartick Ray said owing to poor infrastructure at the temporary Sarpanch office, people often face problems in getting their grievances redressed.
Meanwhile, Balasore Collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy said funds have been allotted for construction of panchayat offices across the district. He said the matter will be looked into.