The enumerators marking houses in DHA in the first phase of the census are using photocopied forms and filling out information in pencil.
Naveed, a resident of Phase V, told The Express Tribune that these enumerators are not willing to show their identity and possess no documents that prove they are working for the government.
“When we asked them why they are using casual papers, they said they will fill out the actual forms at night and then submit them to the census office,” he explained. The enumerators confessed that they did not receive any training on how to fill the forms, Naveed recalled.
An official of the Clifton Cantonment Board, Aziz Soharwardi, agreed that the enumerators are not trained but he added that they have hired 200 more enumerators to finish the work as soon as possible. “I think government should have hired a reputable firm to conduct the census. No enumerator in our areas is affiliated with any political party or ethnic group but it is human nature to make errors in the process,” he said.
Usman Bukhari, who lives in Phase IV, said that, “Two people on motorcycles visited my house about two days ago. When I asked them to prove their identities, they sped away saying they will come back later.” Meanwhile, residents of some parts of DHA have complained that the census teams have yet to visit them.
For their part, the enumerators told The Express Tribune that the DHA residents are not cooperating with them. Habibullah, who is a data entry operator at the Cantonment Board Clifton, said that the residents “threaten us when we ask them to show us their CNICs, which we need to record their numbers”.
“When we start numbering their walls and gates, they use abusive language. We spend the entire day outside their doors but the people just don’t come out,” he said. Provincial Census Commissioner Noor Muhammad Leghari also admitted that the pace of work in cantonment areas is very slow because the enumerators need special permission to visit army installations.
Since the enumerators are employees of the cantonment board and not the city government, “we have held meetings with DHA and other officials to speed up the process,” he assured.
Leghari clarified that all enumerators must carry a census badge and their ID cards on the field. “The census staff must have literature along with them in order to brief the people about the census process,” he said.
Using photocopies and pencils is completely illegal and action can be taken against enumerators if they are found involved, he added. “We can put the enumerator in jail for six months and impose a penalty,” he said.
Referring to the demands of an extension in the house listing deadline, which is today, he said that “we have sent a proposal to the federal government. I think the date will be extended by today”.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2011.
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