Fifth population census ends

The fifth population and household census ended Saturday midnight amidst allegations of leaving a good number of people residing in various locations uncounted. The census, held after every 10 years, has to count each and every person living in the country for accurate and concrete data on their growth, age, sex, ethnicity, religion and socio-economic status. People living in various areas of the city including Pallabi, Mohammadpur, Indira Road, Dhanmondi, Shantinagar, Basundhara and Mugdapara alleged that many households were not visited by enumerators. "I have heard enumerators visited our areas but I was not counted," a man, named, Prince of Dhanmondi area alleged. President of Conscious Artist Association Ivan Ahmed Katha alleged that majority households in his Manda area were not covered. Members of the eunuch community reside here, he added. "I was also not counted. No one came to me though I know some enumerators visited my locality but they did not enumerate the members of the eunuch community for failing to determine their sex," said the President alleging that the authorities did not give proper briefing to the enumerators nor there was any space other than male and female in the enumeration form. General Secretary of Hindu Buddha and Christian Oikyo Parishad Ranadas Gupta said they are monitoring the census very closely after receiving some complaints and shall prepare a report on it. "After next few days, we will get the real picture of omissions because people will be counted until Saturday midnight," Gupta said adding that he was counted this (Saturday) evening. Officials admitted that there might be some omissions in the counting but said enumerators continued their efforts to bring those in the list by visiting several times. "We are trying our best to make the census error free. Cent percent correct statistics is not possible anywhere in the world. But there is always an effort to reach the goal," said Shahjahan Ali Mollah, Director General of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. He said in the census schedule, the errors will be found out after the end of the census. An official assigned to coordinate the census however claimed that 95 per cent households were covered until Sunday evening. The five-day census began Monday midnight with the counting of floating people at bus and rail stations, streets, footpaths and launch ghats throughout the country. The latest population census also covered people of 51 enclaves with their household types, availability and sources of water, sanitation and electricity. For the first time, the census introduced SPARRSO's digital map to identify census area to avoid repetition and missing. Bangladesh population was tallied at 124 million in 2001, the last time the country conducted a census, with males outnumbering females by 51 to 49 per cent, Muslims comprising some 90 per cent of the population and 23 out of 100 people living in rural areas. The new census is also likely to end lingering dispute over the present population size of the country - as the government's figure of 144.2 million in the year ending 2009 grossly differed from the United Nations figure of 162 million.