The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is gearing up to roll out the 2011 census in the city on May 1. The first phase will start with listing of houses (housing census) which will be followed by the actual head count of people in February 2011.
The civic body will launch a comprehensive public awareness campaign about the census in the city and open grievance cells in all its ward offices during the exercise.
In the first phase, enumerators will take the prints of all 10 fingers of citizens to prepare a database that will be used to issue national identity cards in the first phase.
This will be used to prepare the National Population Register (NPR) that is being compiled for the first time. It is an identity database of all Indians which will be used to prepare the Unique Identity Number to everyone above 15 years of age. It will eventually make a National Register of Citizens.
"As many as 127 trained people have started coaching supervisors who will train 7,500 enumerators. Municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade has reviewed the preparations for the first phase. A central census office has been opened at Ghole road ward office. Grievance cells at each of the 14 ward offices will look into citizens' queries. One officer will be appointed at the census desk," city census officer and deputy municipal commissioner Praveen Ashtikar told TOI on Saturday.
A public awareness campaign will precede the first phase. "People should cooperate with enumerators for flawless data collection. A public awareness campaign will tell people about the census drive and its importance," said Ashtikar.
There will be a set of two questionnaires with 50 questions. Besides the data on demography and economic activity, the census will also provide figures on literacy, fertility, mortality, language, religion, migration, and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Growing Pune
Areawise, Pune is the seventh largest city in India and second largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai.
The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) jurisdiction encompasses an area of 243.84 sq. km.
In 2001, the PMC's population was 2.54 million which accounted for 35 per cent of the total urban population in Pune district and 60 percent of the Pune Metropolitan Region.
It has grown from 1.57 million in 1991 to 2.54 million in 2001, and in the last decade experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 4.94 per cent.
The growth has been influenced by many factors. It is the most preferred destination for citizens in Maharashtra for job, education, healthcare, real estate investment, better quality of life.
Industries, trade and commerce activities and educational institutes attract a floating population from all over.
The rapid growth of the city has been mainly attributed to industrialisation after 1960 and expansion of the information technology (IT) industry in the last decade.
Population density
The average population density as per the 2001 census is 10,410 people per sq km
It ranges from as low as 1,476 people per sq km to as high as 1,82,049 people per sq km
The Urban Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (UDPFI) guidelines indicate an average density of around 15,000 people per sq km
Almost 60 per cent of the wards have higher densities than the prescribed norm
The density is higher in the old city areas and those along major transport corridors.
(Source:Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Pune City by the Pune Municipal Corporation).
Lifestyle choices
This census will also reflect the lifestyle of citizens. Officials will record details of the number of cellphones, computers and Internet connections available to the people in their households.
Enumerators will ask during house listing
Who owns the house, number of rooms?
How many married couples in the house?
What is the main source of drinking water?
What is the source of light (electricity, kerosene, solar)?
What material is your floor tile?
Do you share a toilet?
Do you have a bathroom, separate kitchen?
What fuel is used for cooking
Do you have radio, television, computer, laptop?
Do you have an Internet connection?
Do you have a telephone/ cellphone?
Do you have a cycle, scooter, motorcycle, car?
Do you use banking system?
For NPR data
Your full name and residential status
Your name as you want it to appear in NPR
Your relation with head of the family
Gender
Birth date
Marital status
Educational qualification
Your job/ business
Full name of father/mother/ wife/ husband
Place of birth
Nationality
Current residential address
How long you are staying on current address
Permanent residential address