New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) Devi Singh, one of the ten enumerators covering around 2,332 jhuggis in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area, begins his day at six in the morning. A teacher at a government school here, he finishes with classes by 2 pm, before reporting for his census duty at 2.30 pm — taking him through the narrow lanes of Sanjay Camp to carry out the ongoing enumeration exercise.
“Each enumerator has been assigned at least 200 house numbers in this jhuggi jhopdi (informal settlement) cluster, and we are covering the sprawling slums on foot. We finish our school duties and report for this task which is both physically demanding and sensitive, as many residents are sceptical of the exercise,” Singh said, adding that by the time he returns home, it’s almost 9 pm.
The Census 2027 which began earlier this week, and is currently in its first phase, begins with listing house numbers and registering the details in the ‘Census 2027-HLO’ mobile application.
“The self-enumeration window has enabled households to submit their own information through the web portal, and now these are being verified,” an official said.
Rinki stands at the entrance of her jhuggi at the Sanjay Camp cluster in Chanakaypuri, peering sceptically at the enumerators as she deliberates whether to respond to their questions about the household. Like many others in the area, she is both curious and hesitant.
“We don’t know how this information will be used,” she says initially, reflecting a concern shared by several families who fear that sharing details could lead to demolition of their homes.
Enumerators said reluctance is not limited to informal settlements.
“In the upscale areas too, people sometimes ask us to come later, saying they are occupied for resting, and do not provide details,” an enumerator deployed near the railway colony in Chanakyapuri said.
The 33 questions being asked as part of the census exercise include details of age, head of family, caste, number of family members, condition of the house, floor condition, number of rooms, staple food, whether the house is owned or rented, among others.
The settlement, with around 2,332 jhuggis, is home to numerous families living in cramped conditions, often with five to six members sharing a single room barely five feet wide.
Rinki’s family of four lives in one such unit. Nearby, Rashmi, who lives in a rented jhuggi with her family of five, said in reply to houselisting operations (HLO) questions that securing basic amenities is a daily struggle.
“We depend on water tankers for drinking water and use public washrooms,” she told enumerators.
James, who lives in a rented jhuggi in the area with his mother, told PTI that their accommodation is a shanty of 5×5 feet, with an entrance that is barely five feet high.
He expressed hope that the responses to the census questions would reflect the abysmal living conditions in these areas, and the authorities would wake up to the situation of the people inhabiting these slums.
Non-availability of cooking gas also figured in the responses of residents. Several households said they still rely on ‘chulhas’ to prepare their daily meals, as LPG cylinders are simply too expensive. The issue has been aggravated by the shortage of cylinders in the wake of the West Asia crisis, with more and more households resorting to ‘chulha’ use as LPG prices have skyrocketed.
According to locals, the rent of jhuggis in the area range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000, which sell for up to Rs 2 lakh, indicating an informal but active housing market within the settlement.
Meanwhile, the census is not just being carried out by a team of enumerators; school students too are active participants in the exercise. Among them are Krishna, Kunal and Naveen, students of Government Senior Secondary School, Moti Bagh. They are assisting the officials by going door-to-door to inform people about the houselisting exercise. Enumerators said the presence of children helps abate the reluctance that residents may feel.
As evening settles over the capital slum and the last light of day wanes, Devi Singh looks at his phone. “Battery khatam ho gayi hai phone me, baaki ghar kal karenge, (Phone is about to die, will cover the rest of the houses tomorrow)” he says, telling the schoolchildren who have tagged along for the exercise to return to their homes, and telling them to meet at the same spot for the next day. PTI VBH VBH ARB ARB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.