Security and transparency: ‘Two army men, as many cops to accompany each census team’

Commissioner of Sukkur, Larkana divisions finalises arrangements for census

SUKKUR: Two army personnel and as many policemen will accompany the teams collecting the data for population census, said Sukkur and Larkana Commissioner Muhammad Abbas Baloch.

Chairing a meeting in Sukkur on Wednesday to finalise arrangements for the census, he said that the census is a national cause and, therefore, all the stakeholders should join hands to help complete the process. The deputy commissioners of Sukkur and Larkana divisions, Sukkur and Larkana DIG, NADRA director-general, district heads of Pakistan Army and Bureau of Statistics attended the meeting.

It was decided in the meeting that fool-proof security will be provided to the teams during both the phases of house and population census, 2017. Besides, a contingency plan will be chalked out for security, accommodation, food and transportation for the teams in the two divisions.

On the occasion, the deputy commissioners of Sukkur, Ghokti, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Naushero Feroz, Jacobabad and Kamber-Shahdadkot pointed out that a large number of people in their respective districts do not have computerised national identity cards (CNICs).

Responding to this, the commissioner directed the NADRA authorities to speed up the work of preparing CNICs at their centres besides sending mobile units to the far-flung areas of the district to ensure preparation of the identity cards at the earliest. He also asked NADRA to launch an awareness campaign with the help of relevant deputy commissioners and media. The commissioner said that to complete this national task in a transparent way, blocks of 250 to 300 households have been made.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2017.