Census duty evokes mixed response from enumerators

Two days before the census exercise is set to begin in the city,enumerators who will toil for 45 days to gather data door to door from 150 houses,are both an excited and apprehensive lot.

Two days before the census exercise is set to begin in the city,enumerators who will toil for 45 days to gather data door to door from 150 houses,are both an excited and apprehensive lot. There are 18,500 enumerators and 3,087 supervisors from the BMC and other government and semi-government agencies have been appointed for the job. Around 55 per cent of the total staff is from the BMC,while other government agencies will also provide its staff for the purpose.

While most feel that it is part of their job,others seem daunted by the task. Shradhdha Chudnaik,a clerk in BMCs health department said that though she had to cancel her trip to her native town this year,she does not mind being on duty because it is a national duty. The 44-year-old has been working in the BMC for the past 20 years. She underwent training for three days for the census duty. I am a government servant and it is my responsibility. I would do my duty positively without any complaints, said Chudnaik.

Each enumerator will be paid Rs5,500 and officers will be paid Rs10,000 for 45 days. For Vaishali Bobale,a trainer and a supervisor,this will be her second census duty. This is a service to the nation and I do not mind it. I have trained over 300 enumerators this time, said Bobale. Each supervisor will have six enumerators under him.

The three days training imparts communication skills to the enumerators. We teach them how to fill up the bar coded forms sent by the central government. We also teach them how to behave with families while seeking information, said Bobale.

However,not everyone is as happy as Bobale and Chudnaik. An official from the F/South ward office of the BMC,requesting anonymity,said that the additional burden would be difficult to handle. We have to report for work as usual from 9 am to 6 pm and then go around for the census duty. If the areas allotted to us are far from our residence then it will be difficult for me to reach on time and cook for my family, said the official.

The BMC school teachers are worried about additional task assigned to them. A teacher employed in a BMC school in Lalbaug said that teachers are always roped in for such activities without their consent. I have to cut short my leave because of the duty. But I hope to make the most of the leave that I have, said the teacher.

Additional municipal commissioner of the BMC,Manisha Mhaiskar said that census officials have flexibility in carrying out their tasks. They can finish 150 houses within 10-15 days if they wish and use the rest of the days according to their choice. We have so far mobilised and trained about 90 per cent of the total staff required, said Mhaiskar.

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census
Mumbai