Over 45.42 lakh Census houses have been covered across the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) under the ongoing Census 2027 house-listing exercise as of 1 p.m. on May 11, according to the latest progress report accessed byThe Hindu. 

The House Listing and House Census (Phase 1), which covers 33 questions regarding household details, started on April 16 across Karnataka and will continue till May 15.  

The enumeration exercise covers an estimated 51.86 lakh Census houses across the city, based on Bescom data. Of the total figures, 33.41 lakh ‘households’ have been covered so far. Each structure with an address is counted as a Census house, while a household is defined as a structure that has a kitchen. “The GBA has taken 3.5 persons as the average household size, based on which it is estimated that the survey has so far covered more than 1.16 crore people across the households enumerated,” an official said. 

Out of the 21,749 House Listing Blocks identified across GBA limits, mapping has been completed in 17,301 blocks, while enumeration is currently under way in 4,439 blocks. Nine blocks are yet to be taken up.  

Field surveys not done thoroughly

However, officials said the daily enumeration target has been changing as surveys were not carried out thoroughly across some blocks in the initial three days.

“During the first three days following the training, enumerators were instructed to visit every building, irrespective of the structure, and prepare a sketch to arrive at the exact number of structures. This forms the basis for identifying which are Census houses and which qualify as households, based on whether they have a common kitchen. However, the field survey was not carried out properly in many blocks. As a result, senior officials decided to rely on broader overestimated figures, including data drawn from Bescom electricity connections, to track progress,” an official said. 

Bescom data not a right reference

The official further noted that Bescom connection numbers cannot be treated as an exact measure of Census houses or households, as a single building may have multiple electricity meters, some connections may be inactive, and certain connections may correspond to commercial establishments or vacant properties. The data, therefore, serves only as a broad reference point for estimation rather than a precise Census count. 

Among the five corporations, North Corporation has covered 9.44 lakh houses out of an estimated 10.21 lakh, with 7.06 lakh households surveyed. The West Corporation has covered 12.81 lakh houses out of 14.33 lakh, with 9.79 lakh households enumerated. In the East Corporation, 7.58 lakh houses have been covered out of 8.71 lakh, while 5.27 lakh households have been surveyed. 

Not yet mapped

Some residents, meanwhile, told The Hindu that enumerators have not yet visited their areas. GBA officials, however, said this could be because the survey teams may have visited when residents were not at home. They added that, to ensure everyone is covered, enumerators have now started making visits between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to cover locked or closed houses before marking them absent. 

As per the latest progress report, field teams have identified 1.66 lakh locked houses, 5.55 lakh vacant properties, and 6.04 lakh structures being used for commercial or other non-residential purposes during the exercise.