AMDAVAD’S POPULATION COULD BE 70 LAKH!

AMDAVAD’S POPULATION COULD BE 70 LAKH!


Census director says rise in number of dwellings in ‘greater Ahmedabad’ points to this staggering figure

DILIP PATEL
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Even as the census exercise in the state picks up pace, a senior official indicated on Monday that city’s population had shot up significantly. The director of census operations (government of India), Manish Bharadwaj, told Mirror that the population of greater Ahmedabad could be 70 lakh. This means 26.37 lakh more people may be now living in the city and adjoining areas compared with 2001, when the total count of Amdavadis stood at 46.63 lakh. Bharadwaj’s jaw-dropping projection stems from the fact that the number of dwellings in the city and adjoining areas such as Bopal, Adalaj and Aslali has risen sharply.
“We had obtained 10.1 lakh forms for carrying out the housing census, which is the first phase of the population count. To our surprise, we have found that residential and commercial units in Ahmedabad and nearby pockets have increased considerably. We will now need 4.37 lakh more forms to complete the exercise,” he said.
In 2001, the year the last census was conducted, greater Ahmedabad had 9 lakh dwellings and commercial units. This year, the projected figure is pegged at 14.47 lakh. Greater Ahmedabad comprises areas within city limits and those on the outskirts. Bopal, Aslali, Adalaj and newly developed areas along Sarkhej-Sanand road, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar road and SP Ring Road are all part of larger Amdavad.
The census director said that all major cities of Gujarat had reported a rise in dwellings. “The situation is similar in Surat and Rajkot. In fact, in terms of percentage, Surat leads the pack. Keeping in mind the 2001 data, we had obtained 7 lakh forms for conducting the housing and house-listing census there. It turns out that we will need 3.54 lakh more forms. This is an increase of more than 50 per cent,” Bharadwaj said.
For the count of homes and commercial establishments in Rajkot, the census department had procured 2.41 lakh forms. However, the actual need is 3.84 lakh. “Population projections emerging at this stage have stunned us,” he said. “We have written to the Central government to demand 31.9 lakh forms for Gujarat.”
According to an estimate of the state government, the population of Gujarat is 5.82 crore. In the 2001 count, the figure was 5.06 crore.