Show up for census duty or face FIRs: Administration to employees

Nidhi.Bhardwaj@timesofindia.com
Ludhiana: With a few days left for the beginning of the first phase of the Indian census (house listing and house census), authorities are struggling to find employees to conduct the survey. The situation has come to such a pass that a stern action warning had to be issued to make employees comply.

Apart from govt departments, including MC, district administration, excise and taxation, govt schools, forest department, Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited, Mandi Board, etc, authorities have sought staff lists from private banks and schools for census duty. The deputy commissioner (DC) warned that employees who failed to perform census duty would face FIR. Several employees who did not participate in training sessions have already received show-cause notices.
In the first phase, which is to start from May 15, each enumerator will be assigned at least 150 houses. They will ask 33 questions from the house owner. Residents have been given the option of digital census, wherein they can fill their details online till May 14. At least 4,500 employees are required for this census within city limits. On Thursday, employees of various departments went to the zonal commissioner’s office in Zone D, Sarabha Nagar, seeking exemption from duty.

Civic officials have even issued a warning to private schools, asking them to provide staff lists, failing which registration of FIRs will be recommended against them under the Census Act. Employees, mostly govt school teachers, are not happy with the idea of census duty. Many have complained of being deputed far away from their workplace.

However, officials don’t seem to be in the mood to entertain objections. They advised employees to visit the deputy commissioner’s office, but the DC has already warned of FIRs.

An MC official said on Wednesday that deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain had made it clear that no employee would be spared from duty unless there was a medical emergency or some serious problem. Pointing out that a few few govt employees successfully got exemption from census duty in the past, he demanded lists of such employees and asked who recommended their exemption.

Zone D commissioner , Jasdev Sekhon, said, "We have issued show-cause notices to employees who did not attend training and now we will recommend FIRs as well. Private banks and schools have been told to share a list of their employees so that we can prepare them for duty."