Kolkata’s first Census house-listing phase is scheduled to end on Monday, but households missed by enumerators will be covered during the population-count phase in February 2027, officials said. Residents who have not yet received a visit can also contact the dedicated 24×7 Census helpline at 1855.
The first phase, which began on August 1, covers the listing of houses and the collection of information on housing conditions, household characteristics and basic facilities. These include drinking water, toilets, electricity, cooking fuel and internet connectivity. It does not involve the detailed population count.
Enumerators began door-to-door visits on August 15, following a fortnight-long window for residents to complete self-enumeration online. The Census office had said enumerators would visit all households regardless of whether residents had completed self-enumeration.
Officials acknowledged that a small number of households in Kolkata had not yet been visited. Residents from Rajdanga, Kasba and Beleghata told the Times of India that enumerators had not reached their homes. One Beleghata resident said they had not completed self-enumeration because they expected an enumerator to visit during the field exercise, and expressed concern after no visit took place.
An official at the state’s Directorate of Census Operations said households not covered during the first phase would be included in the second phase and that residents had no reason to worry. The official said the first phase was limited to house-listing, while the second phase would focus on population enumeration.
A Kolkata Municipal Corporation official said the civic body had conducted door-to-door visits across the city. According to another official, field enumerators had identified about 13 lakh households in Kolkata and had covered almost all of them. The remaining households, the official said, would be visited during the population-count phase.
The second phase is scheduled from February 9 to February 28, 2027. It will collect socio-economic and demographic information including age, sex, literacy, religion, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe status, disability, languages known, economic activity status and migration. A revisional round is scheduled from March 1 to March 5, according to the Census West Bengal website.
The helpline has already received calls from residents reporting that enumerators had not reached their homes. A KMC official said the civic body was sending enumerators to households from which calls had been received. Residents who remain uncovered can use helpline 1855 to report the issue before the next phase begins.
