Chennai: Residents across Chennai city, Tambaram and Avadi can now submit their household details online as the self-enumeration process for the first phase of Census of India 2027 has begun ahead of the door-to-door house-listing exercise scheduled from Aug 1.Self-enumeration can be done through the Census portal using a mobile phone or computer. Once the form is submitted successfully, an 11-digit unique Self Enumeration (SE) ID will be generated and sent through SMS or email. This ID must be shared with census enumerators when they visit households during the first phase of the exercise.The online form consists of 33 questions covering details about the dwelling, household members and basic amenities. It seeks information such as the building and census house number, materials used for the floor, walls and roof, the condition and use of the house, ownership status, number of rooms, and the number of people residing in the household. The form takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete.Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) commissioner G S Sameeran said the civic body has deployed 8,130 enumerators, 1,380 supervisors and created 9,269 House Listing Blocks (HLBs) to cover the city. He said nearly 16,922 residents completed self-enumeration on the first day within Chennai corporation limits. “The response has been encouraging. We expect more residents to use the online facility, as it will make the door-to-door verification faster. People should make use of the portal and keep their SE ID ready,” he said.In Tambaram, the corporation has deployed 1,483 enumerators and 243 supervisors for the exercise. A total of 1,483 HLBs, each covering around 150 to 200 houses, have been created. Enumerators will visit every household between Aug 1 and Aug 30.Tambaram Corporation commissioner and principal census officer S Balachander said: “Enumerators will verify the information already submitted online, and no additional questions will be asked during this phase. The detailed population census will be conducted separately in Feb 2027.”He also warned that furnishing false information, obstructing census officials or tampering with census markings on buildings are offences punishable under law.In Avadi, corporation commissioner R Saranya said 800 enumerators have been deployed to cover 798 HLBs, while four charge officers are monitoring the exercise. Training programmes for enumerators and supervisors are currently under way to ensure uniform data collection.“Our teams are being trained to guide residents through the process and carry out the survey efficiently. We request people to complete self-enumeration in advance so that the verification process can be completed smoothly when officials visit their homes,” she said.
