Was the 2011 census an eyewash in Himachal !

Many are saying the recent census count of 2011 has not been conducted at some places in Himachal Pradesh, including some areas of the state capital Shimla and yet the final figures were published recently, and yet the Indian census department is patting itself for doing a good job.

Speaking to a cross section of people in Shimla including IAS officers and others living in posh areas of the capital many say nobody from the census department visited them last year.

While most say somebody did visit them for the preliminary round of the census early last year but nobody came knocking for the second and crucial phase in Octoberr.During the second phase a set of 28 questions were to be asked from each household.

“I am surprised and shocked that the census department officials left out entire neighbourhoods in Shimla.If this was the case in Shimla we have every reason that entire villages might have been left out in the countryside.So why on earth is the census department being complimented for doing a good job I don’t understand,” said one Shimla resident.

“This is happening despite the census department has at its disposal a huge number of officials from the state government,” said another resident.

If this is the shoddy state of affairs in a small and sparsely populated state like Himachal Pradesh,many wonder how the census department actually conducted the census across thickly populated large states of the country !

Baldev S Chauhan

In a 20 year career published widely. He has worked for the BBC, AFP, The Statesman, IANS and the Business Standard . Known for his hard hitting writing and occasional off-beat stories. He lives in Shimla.