Census of homeless,the toughest part,to be conducted on last day

“It is certainly a challenge to survey the homeless,largely because there is no saying where they will pitch down for the night,” says Varsha Joshi,Director,Census Operations for Delhi. This is the reason for the Census department saving the task for the very end.

The survey of homeless people will kick off only on the last day of the exercise,February 28,and will begin late in the evening. “We will begin the formal enumeration process late in the evening of February 28 because,naturally,they will be far harder to trace during the day. Also,we are doing this right at the end to ensure that there is no duplication in case one enumerator surveys a homeless person in one area of the city today,and tomorrow,he is surveyed by another enumerator elsewhere,” Joshi explains.

However,Joshi says this only holds true for the formal enumeration. “Enumerators have been told to do some initial legwork,so they will know what they are after on the final day.”

Many enumerators have also raised concerns about safety while conducting the homeless census. “They are worried because they believe they will have to speak to drug addicts and alcoholics late in the evening or at night. We are trying to quell these fears,” Joshi says.

Her office has reached out to members of the civil society,NGOs and individuals with a proven track records of having worked with the homeless.