New Delhi:
The census enumerators have been assigned the task of counting the homeless in the national capital. And in an attempt to make the exercise foolproof, the enumerators, along with the NGO volunteers, combed the streets of Delhi at night.
There are nearly 30,000 enumerators - over half of them women. Like Sunita Negi who leaves her home at 8.30 pm to carry out the mapping exercise to identify the areas where the homeless live.
But as she says counting the homeless is a challenge as the exercise begins late evening when people are back from work. And the timing raises safety fears for women enumerators.
"I have brought my husband along. Without him it is not possible," Sunita said.
The government has roped in around 40 NGOs to help identify pockets where the homeless take shelter. But NGOs claim norms are not being followed.
With just two days to complete counting the homeless in the city, and less number of enumerators out on the streets, there are reports coming out of enumerators violating norms to finish their work on time.
"The rule is that every individual or family unit has to be considered separately in the form. You cannot club 10 individuals together and club them as a family in one form," said Indu Prakash, member of an NGO working with homeless in Delhi.
"Yesterday we did realise that we had missed out a few pockets. We did not know they existed; no one told us. So we are doing them today," said Varsha Joshi, Director, Census operations, Delhi.
According to recent surveys by NGOs, Delhi has roughly 1,50,000 homeless. That may change once the Census data is out. But with complaints of anomalies will the figures reveal the real picture?
There are nearly 30,000 enumerators - over half of them women. Like Sunita Negi who leaves her home at 8.30 pm to carry out the mapping exercise to identify the areas where the homeless live.
But as she says counting the homeless is a challenge as the exercise begins late evening when people are back from work. And the timing raises safety fears for women enumerators.
"I have brought my husband along. Without him it is not possible," Sunita said.
The government has roped in around 40 NGOs to help identify pockets where the homeless take shelter. But NGOs claim norms are not being followed.
With just two days to complete counting the homeless in the city, and less number of enumerators out on the streets, there are reports coming out of enumerators violating norms to finish their work on time.
"The rule is that every individual or family unit has to be considered separately in the form. You cannot club 10 individuals together and club them as a family in one form," said Indu Prakash, member of an NGO working with homeless in Delhi.
"Yesterday we did realise that we had missed out a few pockets. We did not know they existed; no one told us. So we are doing them today," said Varsha Joshi, Director, Census operations, Delhi.
According to recent surveys by NGOs, Delhi has roughly 1,50,000 homeless. That may change once the Census data is out. But with complaints of anomalies will the figures reveal the real picture?
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