Census In Chandigarh To Be Conducted In Two Phases: House Listing To Begin In May

Preparations for the 2027 Census have formally begun in Chandigarh. Chief Secretary H. Rajesh Prasad held a meeting with senior officials to review the details and finalize the action plan, from training to digital monitoring. The census will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will begin with the House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) in May 2026, while the second phase will begin with the population census in February 2027. According to the administration, training for officials and staff at various levels will be conducted from February to April 2026.

Structured training programs will be held between February 20 and April 29. Following the training, the House Listing Block Creation (HLBC) will be finalized to ensure 100% coverage of each block and household. Chandigarh will be divided into 10 charges (zones) for the census. The SDM and senior department heads will be responsible for each zone. To ensure accountability, jurisdictions have been demarcated by ward. Approximately 2,800 employees and officers will be deployed for the entire campaign. This time, the census process will be conducted entirely digitally. Data collection and monitoring will be done through the Census Management Monitoring System (CMMS) and the HLB Creator app.

Special training sessions will also be held for zonal officers, emphasizing the use of digital tools, data accuracy, quality checks, and regional coordination. Several senior officials, including Home Secretary Mandeep Singh Brar, Finance Secretary Dipra Lakra, Education Secretary Prerna Puri, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Amit Kumar, Director and Chief Principal Census Officer Dr. Navjot Khosa, and Deputy Commissioner and District Census Officer Nishant Kumar Yadav, were present at the meeting.

Pre-Mapping Data Will Be Used In Verification

Current pre-mapping data will also be used in the census verification. Under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in the city, deficiencies have been found in the records of 6,100 voters so far. Many names were found on the list of people who have died or do not live at the registered address. According to Deputy Commissioner and District Census Officer Nishant Kumar Yadav, approximately 62.5 percent of the verification work has been completed, and the process will be completed by the end of the month.

6.4 Lakh Registered Voters In Chandigarh

Chandigarh currently has approximately 6.4 lakh registered voters, while the city’s estimated population is approximately 13.64 lakh. The administration believes that the data obtained from pre-mapping and SIR will help ensure accuracy in Census 2027. Census 2027 will be completed in two phases within the stipulated timeframe. The Census Department, under the leadership of the Deputy Commissioner, will conduct this process. To ensure no errors in the data, senior officers will be deployed in the field along with digital records. – H. Rajesh Prasad, Chief Secretary