Ganjam: Residents of Ganjam town alleged that the district administration grossly neglected them in providing basic facilities. The town being one of the prominent civic areas of Ganjam district, there is no public toilet and no rest shed for outside visitors.
According to sources, the town has a notified area council (NAC) as well as a block office. After the completion of the tenure of people’s representatives in local self-governing bodies from September 30, 2018, residents had expected that the district administration will further the town’s development process.
Over two years have passed since then and little has been done in this regard. Several infrastructure development projects of local civic body have been left halfway while several others are in proposal stage, Ganjam Sub-Collector being the administrative in-charge of NAC.
Residents of the town blamed the district authorities for this. However, Rs9,50,000 was allocated from Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) and a foundation stone was laid August 31, 2015 for a rest shed and a public toilet at Badabazar area. Four years have passed in the meanwhile but the construction of the project has not started.
Sub-Collector Priya Ranjan Prusty had discussed the matter with other officials of Ganjam NAC and given proposals for constructing temporary rest sheds, a marriage mandap, a main drainage system, including roads in the town which are just in a proposal stage now.
Local residents have been demanding gharabari pattas, time and again. Despite running from pillar to post for long the issue has not been sorted out, which has sparked resentment among locals.
However, views of the sub-collector could not be obtained. On being contacted, executive officer of the civic body Prabhu Kalyan Das said, “Some of the projects have already been executed and the other infrastructure development projects will be taken up in phases”.