Notices issued to five Ghaziabad officers over ‘slow and satisfactory’ pace of Census work

Ghaziabad: The district administration has issued show-cause notices to five officials whose performance was found to be significantly below the prescribed targets during a recent review of preparations for the ongoing Census exercise.

According to officials, a review of the House Listing Block (HLB) work revealed a substantial gap between the number of blocks assigned and those completed in several urban and semi-urban areas of the district. The administration found that progress in these areas was far below expectations despite repeated instructions and monitoring.

District magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar directed the officers to explain the reasons for the poor progress in their respective jurisdictions and warned that negligence in carrying out Census duties could invite action under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, besides departmental disciplinary proceedings.

Data reviewed by the district administration showed that in Modinagar, only 96 of the 253 allotted HLBs had been completed while in Khoda Nagar Palika, 383 out of the 1,040 assigned blocks were done. Loni municipality reported that 842 out of 1,393 HLBs were completed while Muradnagar recorded progress in just 83 of the 173 allotted blocks. The performance of the Loni tehsil administration was also found lacking, with only 62 of the 152 HLBs being finished.

In the notices issued to the officers concerned, Mandar described the pace of work as “extremely slow and unsatisfactory” and said it was not in accordance with the targets fixed by the state and central govts. He also noted that the chief secretary had expressed displeasure over the slow progress of Census preparations in certain areas.

Officials said the administration had conducted several review meetings and repeatedly instructed officers to closely monitor the work of enumerators and supervisors. However, the desired improvement was not reflected on the ground. The notices stated that the officers concerned appeared to have failed in ensuring effective supervision and accountability among field staff, resulting in delays in the completion of the exercise.

The district administration also directed the officers to obtain explanations from their subordinate staff and submit detailed, fact-based reports along with supporting documents. Officials said the responses would be examined carefully and strict action could be initiated if the explanations were found unsatisfactory.

The administration emphasised that timely completion of the House Listing phase is crucial for the smooth implementation of the nationwide Census programme and warned that any further delay would be viewed seriously.