Chennai: In the housing census currently being conducted in Tamil Nadu, enumerators are struggling in areas with a large number of apartment complexes, as there are as many as 3,000 homes in some places.
As part of the nationwide population census, the housing and amenities survey began in Tamil Nadu on Aug. 1.
Next, the population census-related survey is scheduled to take place in February 2027. In the current house listing survey, 33 details are collected, including the house, the material used for the floor, walls, and roof of the house, the rooms in the house, toilet, source of drinking water, sewage disposal, vehicle facility, telephone, television connection, and internet facility.
More than 1.50 lakh revenue department staff and teachers have been engaged in this work. Enumerators are assigned at the rate of 200 to 300 census houses per person.
However, at present, the specified area has been mapped using Google Maps, and instructions have been issued to count the houses there. As a result, allegations have arisen that in areas with many apartment buildings, one enumerator is being assigned 1,000 to 3,000 houses.
In particular, most of the urban housing board residences under Tambaram have 96 houses in a block. In that case, only an area equivalent to 3 blocks should be assigned to one enumerator.
However, because the allocation was based on Google Maps, more than 25 blocks have been marked. As a result, allegations have arisen that one enumerator is being assigned 3,000 houses.
It is said that even though revenue department officials were aware of this information, they have been assigning tasks using the existing staff without appointing additional personnel.
As a result, those who have been assigned duties are also waiting without receiving the orders for them so far, causing census work to be delayed. Meanwhile, since there are very few officials for the enumeration work in Tambaram taluk, village assistants have been appointed for the population census work.
As this work is to be carried out through a mobile phone app, they have submitted a petition to the Chengalpattu District Collector and the Tambaram Revenue Divisional Officer, requesting that they be relieved from this work because they do not have adequate training.
Regarding this, M. Sundareshbabu, Director of the Census Operations and Registrar of Births and Deaths for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, said: Compared with other states, the census in Tamil Nadu has been in good shape over the past 10 days.
The first 10 days are for preparatory work. At present, census work has begun in most districts. The census can be conducted either on a population basis or a household basis. If it is on a population basis, one person must survey 800 to 900 people; if it is on a household basis, one person must conduct the census for 200 to 300 households.
There is no strict order or condition that one person must count all these houses. If there are too many houses, they can be divided. If this is informed to the responsible officials, they have been instructed to arrange for the division.
Similarly, if there is any threat, it can also be reported to the responsible officials. The survey work will be completed by August 25. After that, the omitted and correction work will take place. Within the next 10 days, we will complete 70 to 80 percent of the work. The public should provide the details requested by the enumerators without hesitation. He said this.