Rehearsals for Census begin

Rehearsals to carry out the Census operations were conducted here on Saturday. Supervising the work,MC Zonal Commissioner and Ludhiana Census Officer P S Ghuman found 33 of the 300 employees deputed for the job absent from duty. “These employees will be sent notices and if they fail to report on the second day of rehearsals,April 22,criminal cases will be registered against them,” said Ghuman.

Employees on Census duty are,meanwhile,approaching the department to get their names deleted from the list. Ghuman said: “Most of them are college and school teachers who are giving excuses that the education of children will be affected.”

College supervisors and lecturers have indicated that they are on examination duties while others cite ‘medical’ problems. Ghuman said: “We are scrutinising the list only the genuine cases will be given exemption.”

Disabled too find their names in list
Rajinderpal Singh,a music teacher in the government school at Bharat Nagar,who is 70 per cent blind,and an employee from the animal husbandry department who is disabled were put on the Census duty. Both got their names struck off after the heads of their departments gave a written representation.