Paradip, Oct. 13: Paradip port, Odisha’s lone major port, is facing a drastic manpower crunch from the top to bottom. This is adversely affecting port administration.

Several key departments of the port administration are now rudderless. The port trust is headed by an ad-hoc chairman following the voluntary retirement of former chairman G. Jagannath Rao about four months ago.

Vice-chairman S. Ananth Kumar Bose has been officiating as the in-charge chairman since then. Posts of secretary, traffic manager, financial advisor-cum-chief account officer, materials manager, and chief medical officer are lying vacant. Posts in senior deputy secretary rank are also vacant. There are vacancies in clerical staff posts as well.

The port has over 2,500 sanctioned posts of officers and employees. Nearly 200 posts in key wings, including those of administrative heads, are lying vacant, compounding the problem for the port authorities. To meet the exigencies, the port trust has engaged 600 casual staff to compensate for the lack of manpower.

Several clerical posts were abolished after lying unmanned for over a year. According to the Union shipping ministry’s guidelines, a clerical staff post ceases to exist if it is not filled up within a year.

Over 500 employees, including those holding senior administrative posts, are slated to retire within the next two years. Unless the port trust fills up these posts in advance, it would have a paralytic effect on port administration.

“The shipping ministry is making no concerted effort to fill up the vacancies in key administrative wings of the port. The existing vacancies have taken a toll on infrastructure expansion projects and cargo handling operations of the port,” said Paradip port trust’s member Pravat Kumar Samantaray.

Port chairman S. Ananth Kumar Bose said: “We have informed the Union shipping ministry about the problem arising out of the vacancies. We are hopeful that things will improve after the vacant posts are filled.”