Census 2026 begins in Bhatkal from April 1; online self-enumeration introduced

Bhatkal: The first phase of Census 2026 will begin in Bhatkal from April 1, with officials gearing up for the House Listing and Housing Census across the taluk. The exercise will continue till May 15 as part of the nationwide decennial census, which is being conducted after a gap since 2011.

For the first time, residents in Bhatkal will have the option to take part through a digital self-enumeration facility. Tahsildar Nagendra Kolashetty said the online option will be available from April 1 to April 15, allowing people to submit their household details through the official portal.

This will be followed by field verification from April 16 to May 15. During this phase, enumerators will visit houses to verify the information submitted online and collect data from households that have not used the digital facility.

Officials said the census will record details about housing conditions such as type of structure, access to drinking water, electricity and sanitation, along with other basic facilities. Information about family members, including age, education and occupation, will also be collected as per the guidelines.

Separate arrangements have been made for rural and urban areas in Bhatkal taluk. While the Tahsildar will supervise the exercise in rural areas, the Commissioner of the Bhatkal City Municipal Council will oversee operations in urban limits.

A total of 289 enumerators have been deployed in the taluk, including 190 in rural areas and 99 in urban areas. All enumerators are being trained ahead of the exercise and will begin door-to-door visits from April 16.

According to 2011 Census data, Bhatkal’s urban areas had 14,219 houses with a population of around 73,200, while nearly 30,000 houses were recorded in rural parts of the taluk.

Officials have assured that all information collected during the census will remain strictly confidential and will be used only for official purposes.