The Census being conducted haphazardly Published on: May 14, 2010 - 01:37 BY JOHN ERIC GOMES
If there was any proof required for the complete shambles in our Administration, then the ongoing census exercise is providing it in full measure. The recording of the census is an important exercise with lifelong implications and needs to be done systematically and correctly, and to ensure that this is done properly, there are detailed orders and rules laid down.
However, as usual there is bad implementation of these. There is utter mismanagement and chaos, as far as the census is concerned. The administration has not taken into consideration that people have jobs and responsibilities, some have senior citizens under their care or have to attend to patients, deaths and other emergencies. The citizens are put to a lot of unnecessary travel expense, trouble, stress and forced to waste their precious time!
Let me list my experience with the hope that this opens the authority’s eyes and action is taken to streamline the process. Someone told somebody in my colony to go to Salvador do Mundo panchayat office, on a certain day. They informed only a few, as for the others, another day was scheduled for the same. We could not be informed because our colony office was not informed. I found out that we come under the North Goa Mapusa Census Cell, which had no idea of UIN exercise, and they were doing coastal areas and we did not figure in the exercise yet!
This puzzled me because someone had already come a week back for Census. Anyway, the mamlatdar kindly stated that he would be organising the photography session in our area, and would let us know when. However, no information was forthcoming. Phone calls to the panchayat are not attended to. On sending a person to the panchayat, nothing could be found because the talathi had not come! So I rang up the Mapusa Cell who informed me that the mamlatdar has not come that morning. I got his cell phone number and it was unattended like the panchayat number. People did go to the Panchayat on day scheduled by previous word of mouth information. There were huge queues and some made two or three unsuccessful trips as they were going outstation. I finally got the collector North Goa, Panaji on the phone, who said he would speak to the mamlatdar. I was surprised to be suddenly told by the society secretary, one day, that they have come from 10.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to do the needful.
Since no previous information was given, nothing could be organised. The staff had two books listing people’s priority. Busy people suddenly called from their commitments, were annoyed and frustrated. One of the government staff was from another area, substituting the person gone on leave for his wedding.
I would beg the authorities to kindly consider the tremendous heat and inconvenience and to please organise and inform people well in time so we all can cooperate to help each other do a good job.
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