BERHAMPUR: Shortage of trained staff and improper management has turned Balaghati Irrigation Project in Patrapur block of Ganjam district into a liability for residents of nearby villages.
The project does not have a gate operator to man its spillway. It also does not have an electrician or a watchman. Excess water is discharged through the spillway during monsoon.
However, residents of villages in Patrapur, Digapahandi and Chikiti blocks have to spend sleepless nights when water is discharged as the sound of the siren to caution them can hardly be heard in distant places.
Besides, the generator meant to activate the piston of the spillway has been lying defunct for the last seven years.
The project, cleared by the Central Water Commission (CWC) on July 4, 1994, is managed by the Irrigation department and has a catchment area of 119.50 sq km at the dam site with irrigation potential of 5,488 hectare in kharif and 1,750 hectare in rabi seasons.
As many as 125 families of eight villages were rehabilitated to pave the way for the project in 1994 and 2010.
Meanwhile, Executive Engineer of the project Sanjeev Kumar Das Sharma said higher officials have been apprised of the issues and it is hoped they will be resolved soon.