Balakati (Pratap Sasan) is located about 10 kms. away from State Capital Bhubaneswar and is having all potentialities to grow into a cluster under the Small Industry Cluster Development Programme.
Manufacture of Brass and Bell Metal Products is done in the scale of household industries mostly in the rural areas since its inception. It involves strenuous physical labour both Skilled, Semiskilled and unskilled workers and is accomplished through indigenous tools and equipment. In the past this industry flourished and developed because of cheap availability of raw materials in the hands of limited number of artisans, easy and abundant availability of fuel and above all the demand of the people for these products for various reasons.
The economic prosperity achieved as visualized bears testimony to the potentiality of the craft as a source of livelihood in the past. But during last decades the craft witnessed the disintegration and has to survive against rivals. The advent of factory made products like stainless steel, aluminium, ceramic and plastic wares into the households as utilitarian articles has brought about a serious challenge to these products. The views of the craftsmen in regard to the craft as a source of livelihood at present were divergent.
Geographical Location of Balakati:
Village Pratap Sasan (Balakati) is substantially a large village and stands on the eastern bank of the Daya river, a tributary of the Kathajodi river and comes under the administrative control of Bilianta Police Station in the district of Khurda. The village is well known for bell metal products since 10 14th Century and is only about 10 kms. away from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of the state and is connected by all weather pucca roads over the Daya with the State capital, district, sub-division and tahasil headquarters. Although, Balakati does not act as a centre of termination of Bus services, a number of buses to Banamalipur, Bhingarpur, Konark etc. ply through this village. Moreover, the village can be easily approached from Uttarachhak, a place on the Bhubaneswar-Puri National Highway, which is only one kilometer away in the western side of the village. Besides, a number of mini busses, Trekkers engaged in the passenger traffic also operate through the village. The nearest rail station on the south eastern railway is Bhubaneswar railway station which is only about 10 kms away. The villagers also can avail of the air transport facilities at Bhubaneswar. There is one college in the village and one Engineering college only 2 kms. away from the village. The National level Research Institute of Central Institute of Fishery Aquarium (CIFA) is located near the village. The village is also well equipped with Telephone facilities, Educational Institutes, Post Office, PHC and Banks also.