Many residents in the city are apprehensive about the household survey being undertaken by the State government for the assessment of social, financial, education, employment, political and caste status of the population.
On the first day of the actual survey on November 9 (Saturday), which began after three days of door-to-door visits and affixing of stickers by officials, several people refused to share full details regarding their status on the said parameters.
For a few, the questions appeared too intrusive, while a few others expressed their anger towards the government for taking up a fresh survey. “It has become more like a referendum about the government rather than a caste census. Several people questioned the outcome of the ‘Praja Palana’ applications, to accept which a large scale drive was conducted soon after the Congress government came to power,” an official monitoring the census shared under the condition of anonymity.
A large number of households had applied for food security cards during Praja Palana programme, as no fresh applications had been entertained during the previous decade. With instructions issued to officials to accept the applications for the cards, it was largely assumed that a ration card drive would be conducted soon, which is yet to happen.
Video clips of enumerators lamenting how the people were venting their anger at them over non-fulfilment of promises by the Congress (pertaining to housing, gas cylinders and financial assistance to women) made rounds on social media platforms. Many felt that the census is reminiscent of a previous survey carried out by the BRS government, the data of which has not been shared till now.
“The Congress could have dug up the previous survey data and shared it in public domain. What is the point of a fresh survey when all these details had been already shared?” questioned N. Bhikshapathi, a resident of Seetaphalmandi.
A few others found the survey to be a breach of privacy, as it enquired about the specific caste, and also about property details, apart from the Aadhaar number.
“How could I be sure of the identity of the enumerators? They are not showing any identity proof nor any letter from the government authorising them to carry out the survey. At a time when scammers don’t spare an opportunity to beguile the innocent, I cannot take such risk. I will refuse to share details,” said P.Venkat, a resident of Sripuram Colony in Malakpet.
Even the veracity of the details shared may not be verified, several others felt.
Operations by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) against lake encroachment, and the demolitions in the name of Musi river development had their own impact.
“The government should have taken up an extensive awareness campaign before initiating the survey. Many residents here associate the census with the demolition drives the government had done previously, hence are worried,” said Syed Bilal, a resident of Shankar Nagar in Chaderghat.
Meanwhile, a team of officials, including principal secretaries Sandeep Kumar Sultania and Burra Venkatesham; GHMC Additional Commissioner Sneha Shabarish; and Hyderabad Collector Anudeep Durishetty, visited Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and collected the details of his family members. Mr. Durishetty and Ms. Shabarish also visited Minister Ponnam Prabhakar’s residence and collected his details.
Published – November 09, 2024 11:51 pm IST