In a significant move to accurately capture India's urban growth, peripheral towns and revenue villages on the outskirts of Lucknow city are set to be formally included in the upcoming Census 2027 exercise. They will be counted as part of the Lucknow urban agglomeration, a model that will be replicated across other major urban centres in Uttar Pradesh.
Redefining Urban Boundaries for Accurate Data
The state government has directed urban local bodies across UP to identify and delineate outgrowth areas. These are zones that have not been formally notified within municipal limits but have undergone substantial urbanisation over the years. This process means that several villages located in neighbouring districts on Lucknow's borders will be incorporated into its agglomeration, following patterns seen in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The national census is scheduled for February 2027. While the census report traditionally separates urban and rural populations at the district level, the agglomeration approach for key cities helps map the true extent of urban sprawl and trends within a state. To ensure accuracy and avoid duplication, the census will count migrant individuals who come to a city for work as residents of that locality. This applies whether they live in rented housing, makeshift shelters, or shanties, provided they were present during the survey period.
How Residents Will Be Counted
An officer from the Directorate of Census Operations UP in Aliganj explained the residency rule. "If during questioning it is found that the person was staying in the same locality during the period when the census survey exercise is taking place—which will be 30 days this time—the person is counted as a resident of that particular locality," the official stated.
The classification of an area as 'urban' will depend on the presence of specific civic amenities and infrastructure. Even if a locality on the outskirts is officially recorded as a revenue village, it can be elevated to urban status based on characteristics like paved roads, streetlights, functional drainage and sewerage systems, water supply networks, educational institutes, markets, industries, banks, and post offices.
Survey to Go Beyond Previous Limits
This expansion means census surveyors will go beyond the 88 revenue villages that were added to the Lucknow Municipal Corporation's jurisdiction just five years ago. The exercise aims to create a more realistic picture of Lucknow's footprint and the pace of urbanisation in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.
The inclusion of these peri-urban areas in the Lucknow urban agglomeration is expected to significantly increase the city's official urban population count. It will also provide crucial data for better urban planning, infrastructure development, and resource allocation for these newly integrated zones, which already exhibit urban traits.
