Ranchi: With the house-listing process for the first phase of Census 2027 rolled out in the state from Saturday, many associated with the process fear that the fuel crisis may impact their jobs. Many petrol pumps remained shut with ‘no-stock’ boards pasted at their entrance on Saturday.An enumerator for the Lowadih area, Prashant Kumar (name changed), said, “I had to visit multiple petrol pumps to refill my two-wheeler late Friday night. It will become difficult for us to manage if the fuel crisis continues.” Another enumerator in Chutia, (Saurav) said, “After waiting for two hours to refill the tank of my two-wheeler, the pump operator gave only Rs 500 petrol as part of their fuel rationing.”Two petrol pumps on Jail Road-Karamtoli stretch went out of stock on Friday night. A similar scene prevailed at Kantatoli petrol pump, a high vehicular density area. “We remained open till midnight on Friday due to the unprecedented rush. Fresh stock is yet to reach us from the depot,” said an operator at Kantatoli pump.Appealing to people to stop panic buying of fuel as “it is triggering a man-made crisis”, Jharkhand Petroleum Dealers’ Association spokesperson Pramod Kumar said, “The pumps are going dry due to excessive rush, making it difficult to replenish the stock. Fuel stocks meant for two to three days is getting exhausted in a single day.”Referring to the plight allegedly faced by enumerators, a district administration official engaged with census work said that they haven’t come across such concerns so far. “It will be dealt on case-to-case basis. The administration is keeping vigil over the situation and attempts are on to streamline the situation,” he said.As per the Directorate of Census Operations, enumerators are mandated to visit each earmarked house under their name for physical verification during the process and fill in digital form carrying 33 questions, primarily related to the details of the household, facilities available, and assets, among others. A total of 77,716 enumerators have been engaged for the house-listing process, which would continue till June 14.
