Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3: The state museum is suffering from acute staff shortage at various levels.

Seven posts of curators are lying vacant, and the museum does not have even enough sweepers to keep its sprawling compound, spread over 14.7 acres with a built up area of 1,12,444 square feet, clean.

The cleaning operations are managed by just four sweepers, three of whom are on contract.

The museum boasts of a collection of 56,357 artefacts displayed in 18 galleries, of which archaeology, armoury, manuscripts, epigraphy, anthropology, numismatics, paintings, bronze works and mining and geology sections attract the most visitors.

“We need at least eight sweepers to keep the place clean. The number we have now is not enough,” said a senior official of the museum. He said only seven of the 14 posts of curators had been filled, and that their presence in full strength was important to an keep eye on the displays. The support staff, too, work under their guidance.

The museum gets 500 to 1,000 visitors on any given day. However, with just 20 Class IV employees, it is hard to look after the museum premises.

Museum superintendent Manjushri Samantray admitted to the staff shortage. “There are 14 posts of curators, but only seven are available. We need more attendants as the museum has many priceless antiquities, some of which date back to the 3rd Century BC. As there is a cap on employment, we cannot do anything. We are trying to take people on contract basis,” she said.

Regarding the area of the museum building, she said that 13,527sqft should be deducted from the built-up area as the administrative block was likely to be converted into a gallery of contemporary art by the Lalit Kala Akademi.

Jagdish Singh, a resident of New Delhi and former engineer-in-chief of the public works department, Uttar Pradesh, who visited the state museum today with his family, said: “I was overwhelmed by the collection, but the ambience needs improvement. The state is one of the richest sources of minerals, but the mining and geology gallery requires proper attention.”

A museum staff member said: “As the steel and mines department is not providing any assistance for the mining and geology gallery, the employees are spending from their own pockets to replace even fused bulbs.”

The museum superintendent said the steel and mines department had sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore so that the mining and geology gallery could be moved to the first floor.

Director, department of culture, Sushil Kumar Das, said: “It is true that the state museum doesn’t have enough staff, but it is manageable. With efficient management of human resources, the authorities can bring change.”