LAHORE, April 11: The first phase of the ongoing population census will be completed according to schedule in Punjab by April 19.

Inventory of households would be prepared after completing house numbering or listing to identify residential and non-residential units under this phase, Population Census Organisation’s joint census commissioner Javed Qadir Bakhsh told Dawn here on Monday.

Like rest of the country, the province has been delimited on a four-tier system -- block, circle, charge and district -- in order to ensure complete coverage and effective field supervision.

“Every tehsil, town and cantonment is the census district; a charge is area under Kanongo (a town or part of a town or cantonment); a census circle comprises area of a patwar circle (part of town or cantonment) while a census block consists of a village (part of town).

“In urban areas, a census block comprises 200 to 250 houses, a circle of five to seven blocks and a charge of five to seven circles. In rural areas, a mauza, comprising 200 to 250 houses, is the census block.

A census circle comprises total number of mauzas in a patwar circle and the charge total number of patwar circles. One census block is assigned to one enumerator,” said the joint commissioner.

He said Punjab had been delimitated in 76,143 blocks, 11,836 circles and 1,424 charges. “Some 30,084 enumerators are busy in the process under 13,337 circle supervisors and 1,690 charge superintendents in Punjab,” he said.

“In Lahore, some 3,307 people are carrying out field operation -- 2,099 enumerators, 1,019 supervisors and 189 superintendents in 4,941 blocks, 867 circles and 178 charges,” he said.

In the second or main phase, the population will be counted at usual place of residence through de-jure method for comparison over the past. Enumerators will go door-to-door in the second phase of census to collect individual information by interacting with the head or responsible member of every household.

Information thus collected would be kept secret and not passed on to any other government agency, said Javed while appealing the people to furnish correct information to enumerators as it would serve as bench mark for all future socio-economic development plans.