The Hindu        19.08.2014

Survey begins in GHMC limits!

 Residents of various localities under the GHMC limits were caught off-guard when the government household survey, scheduled for August 19, began a day prior to the announced date.

GHMC assigned enumerators as well as other survey officials started conducting the survey from Monday morning itself citing paucity of time.

As per the government guidelines, the concerned officials should undertake two pre-visits to the assigned residences before the actual survey to be conducted only on August 19.

“Each house will take at least half an hour so how can I complete 40 houses in a single day?” questioned an enumerator, who is in-charge of a block in Jubilee Hills. “We have been given the survey books to take down all the necessary details. While visiting the allotted houses for a pre-survey exercise, I am trying to gather data and complete the survey for that house. Since many had a holiday on Monday, the process only became easier,” he said.

Some of the areas where the survey had begun include Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Malakpet, Himayat Nagar, Kukatpally and others.

“I plan to cover as many houses as possible till Monday night,” confided a cluster head and a property tax official from Malakpet, who had started the survey on Monday afternoon. “The reason we have decided to start early is because the residents are very unpredictable. They ask a lot of questions or take time to provide details. Since we already conducted one pre-visit, it does not make sense to have another and instead it is wise to start the survey,” he said.

The situation, however, has left many of the residents confused. “My mother called me to inform that survey officials had come to take details on Monday evening. Though I was sure it was on Tuesday, I rushed back home since I did not want to take any chances. After taking down the details, the official said that they would not disturb us the next day,” said N. Suresh Kumar, a resident of Srinagar Colony and a private employee.

Incidentally, GHMC Commissioners Somesh Kumar, earlier in the day and at an official press conference, denied any such advance survey being taken up.