Enumerators go about duty in the face of slammed doors, sarcasm and rudeness

Pune: Enumerators conducting house-listing operations across the state said the task is far more challenging than they anticipated. They have been battling summer temperatures above 40°C almost every day of May and high humidity in June and repeated visits to locked homes, uncooperative residents and the looming June 14 deadline have added to their work pressure.For Sakina Sheikh (name changed), the past three days have been particularly exhausting. Apart from enduring the humidity, she has often been met with suspicion and hostility from residents reluctant to share information.“People simply shut the door on our faces. There is hardly any awareness regarding the census. Many ask why we need to know details like whether they own a television or have a toilet. Some even ask if we are going to pay their property tax or rent,” she told TOI.She added that in many cases, enumerators are not even allowed to number houses, making the exercise more difficult. “I have visited a society thrice to seek permission to conduct the census,’’ she said.The self-enumeration portal closed on May 15 and only a small fraction of residents completed the process online. Enumerators say the burden of collecting information through door-to-door visits has increased significantly. Engaging in a conversation, let alone the 33 questions, has become a challenge in itself, another teacher who is supervising census activities said.Getting access to residential complexes is often the first hurdle. Enumerators, most of whom are teachers, anganwadi workers or govt employees, make multiple rounds to meet residents who are unavailable during the day or whose homes remain locked. Each enumerator has been assigned anywhere between 300 and 400 households, though some claim their workload is considerably higher.Officials said the house-listing exercise has covered the overwhelming majority of households in Maharashtra. Yet, enumerators say stiff resistance from residents continues to be one of the biggest hurdles and highlights the lack of public awareness about the exercise.With less than 10 days remaining, enumerators have urged authorities to intensify awareness efforts. Several suggested that corporators, panchayat members, MLAs, MPs and political leaders across party lines should encourage citizens to cooperate with the exercise.“People are more likely to respond when the message comes from someone they know locally. People’s representatives should use their social media platforms, local meetings and community networks to explain why the census is important and why residents should cooperate with us,” an enumerator said.Others said resident welfare associations, housing society office-bearers and apartment federations could help speed up the process by informing residents in advance about enumeration visits and encouraging them to keep basic information ready.“If RWAs and society committees send a simple message in advance, it saves us multiple rounds of visits and reduces resistance at the doorstep,” another enumerator said.District census officials should take proactive steps in the final stretch by coordinating awareness drives, issuing public appeals and involving local elected representatives, political leaders, resident welfare associations and local bodies.“There is bound to be pendency because of locked houses, repeated visits and non-responsive residents. With less than 10 days left, district census authorities should bring together people’s representatives, political leaders, RWAs and local bodies to help create awareness and ensure maximum coverage before the deadline,” an enumerator said.Some say simple interventions can make a significant difference. One enumerator recalled how a housing society chairman circulated the enumerator’s details and identification card on the residents’ WhatsApp group and informed members about the visit schedule.“It made a huge difference. Residents were prepared, and the watchman helped guide the enumerator from house to house. The process became much simpler,” the enumerator said. Another census staffer from the Peth area said national duties cannot be challenged, but more awareness can speed up work.Enumerators said unlike earlier paper-based surveys, the current exercise requires geo-location tagging, app-based data entry, uploads and repeated verification of information, all while meeting daily targets and balancing their regular duties.Census staff said many residents in rural areas are reluctant to disclose accurate information, forcing repeated visits and verification. A census staffer said village representatives and sarpanches may give them a general idea, and many enumerators are from the same area, but people still do not always provide correct information.Workload distribution is disproportionate as some have been assigned around 300 households, others have to cover 500 to 600 homes, and yet others have been allocated areas far from their place of residence.“There are cases where an enumerator living in Kondhwa has been assigned work in Nagar Road area. Such issues should have been examined. Since this is a national exercise, better planning would have helped,” an enumerator said.Another from Pune district added that when a household does not have a toilet, some residents claim they do. “We have to conduct re-checks to ensure incorrect information is not entered,” she added.