Chief census officer warns of strict action against negligence in survey work

Gurgaon: MCG commissioner and chief census officer Pradeep Dahiya on Friday warned against negligence in census duties, saying laxity and delays could lead to action against employees.

During a review meeting at the MCG office, Dahiya went over the progress of field surveys, employee attendance and pace of the exercise. He instructed departments to register FIRs against employees found not adhering to deadlines and urged the field staff to conduct census duties with “full responsibility and seriousness.” The official has sought regular progress reports to help formulate frameworks for more such projects in the future.

Joint commissioners have been told to conduct regular inspections and visit sites to assess the status of the census operations, stressing that the inspections should focus on the quality of work, employee attendance and communication with residents.

Recently, MCG recommended filing FIRs against 13 employees under Section 11 of the Census Act, 1948, for performing their duties negligently and remaining absent from training programmes.

Under provisions of this act, if any person refuses to conduct census duties or obstructs govt work, punitive action can be taken against them. If found guilty, the concerned person may also be sentenced to imprisonment extendable up to 3 years.