3 weeks Ago By Rajiv Mani
Prayagraj: With preparations for the long-awaited national census underway, the govt has begun collecting updated data from various departments to ensure accurate demographic mapping. In this regard, municipal bodies across Uttar Pradesh have been directed to provide details of the geographical expansion of cities and towns. The additional director of the municipal corporation directorate, Ritu Suhas, issued a letter to all municipal commissioners and executive officers of the state, instructing them to submit the old and newly expanded areas of their respective urban bodies.
These figures are to be presented in hectares to help determine the total geographical spread of each city and town. In Prayagraj, the municipal corporation received this directive and began compiling the data. According to municipal corporation public relations officer PK Dwivedi, the govt is currently focused on gathering geographical data in anticipation of the upcoming census, which will be conducted as per the instructions of the Union Home Ministry.
While the exact date of the census has not been announced, preparations are in full swing. The last census was in 2011, during which the population of Prayagraj city was recorded at 11,12,544. At that time, many housing schemes located around the main city were included in the population count.
However, over the past 14 years, many of these peripheral areas have been officially merged into the municipal corporation's jurisdiction, significantly increasing the city's geographical area. The upcoming census, initially scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that it is set to be conducted this year, the authorities are placing special emphasis on gathering accurate and updated data to ensure a reliable calculation of population density per hectare, which will be based on the latest area statistics.
The municipal corporation is expected to submit the required information soon, which will play a key role in the administrative planning and policy-making process for urban development and resource allocation..
