The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced stringent measures against employees who fail to fulfill their census responsibilities, including the filing of criminal cases and suspension from duty. This decision was reached during a review meeting held on Tuesday, where officials assessed the progress of census operations across the city.
Review Meeting Highlights
During the meeting, PMC officials focused on areas where house listing blocks (HLBs), also known as enumerator blocks, have either not started work or are progressing at a slow pace. PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram emphasized the importance of the census, stating, "The census work is high priority and important. Irresponsible behaviour will not be tolerated."
Current Progress
According to a PMC statement released on Tuesday, census work has commenced in only 60% of the total blocks under the corporation. In several ward offices, including Nagar Road, Yerawada-Wagholi, Dhole Patil Road, Aundh-Baner, and Sinhagad Road, work has begun in merely 50% of the blocks. This sluggish progress has prompted the PMC to take strict action.
Directives to Officials
Chief officials have been instructed to take necessary measures within two days to ensure that work in all 11,000 blocks is initiated using the online mobile application. They must immediately contact government and semi-government office staff assigned to census duties and ensure that these staffers report to their respective jurisdictions via telephone.
Staff Shortage and Contractual Teachers
The statement revealed that many personnel from the PMC's primary education department, as well as general municipal staff, have not yet reported for census duties. To address this shortage, teachers working on a contractual basis under the primary and secondary education departments will be attached to census duties. If necessary, their contractual tenures will be extended so that they can serve as enumerators.
The PMC's decisive action underscores the urgency of completing the census, which is critical for planning and resource allocation in the city.
