‘Apathetic’ Bengaluru drags down state numbers: Survey

Nearly 60 per cent of the households that refused to participate in the Social and Educational Survey were from Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area, possibly revealing urban or middle-class bias against the exercise. 

There were other reasons too for the less coverage in the state capital. 

As per official data from the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, 2.5 lakh of the total 4.22 lakh households (59.34 per cent) that rejected the survey statewide were from GBA limits. 

As many as 6.75 lakh houses in GBA limits were locked, 2.42 lakh were vacant, 7.64 lakh UHIDs were those of commercial establishments, 32,347 households were those of migrants, 2.28 lakh households had completed their enumeration in their native places, while there were 1.64 lakh UHIDs created for borewell pumpsets, but had no houses attached.

As many as 2.53 lakh households had been enumerated via duplication of UHIDs, while other families accounted for 3.57 lakh households.

Successful in RoK

Barring GBA limits, the survey witnessed a high enumeration figure of 97.5 per cent (5.54 crore enumerated out of the estimated population of 5.68 crore) across the state.

However, merely 59.07 lakh out of an estimated 1.16 crore estimated population was enumerated in Bengaluru, bringing down the state average to 89.48%.

This is lesser than the 94.2 per cent enumeration (5.98 crore out of the estimated 6.35 crore were enumerated) during the previous survey in 2015 that was overseen by the H Kantharaj-led backward classes commission.

The 2015 survey was junked following opposition by various communities, especially the ‘dominant’ Lingayats and Vokkaligas. 

Why survey lagged in GBA?

First, the survey began late in GBA limits. Though it started across the state (including areas of Bengaluru urban district that don’t come under GBA) on September 22, it began in GBA limits only on October 4. 

The late start was attributed to the delayed training of enumerators and other administrative hurdles.

Secondly, and more importantly, the High Court’s direction to not make the survey mandatory emboldened opponents of the exercise, who gave public calls for opposing it.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Bangalore South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said they would not participate in the survey.

Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty and her husband, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, refused to participate, saying they didn’t belong to backward classes. 

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar got enumerated in full media view, and ended up criticising the survey for asking ‘too many’ questions, some of which he refused to answer. This could have influenced many to either skip the survey or be desultory towards it. 

Former Backward Classes Commission member K N Lingappa felt the state government should have filed a review petition in the High Court for withdrawal of riders imposed. 

“If even that didn’t work in their favour, they could have approached the Supreme Court with a special leave petition,” he said.

A senior official explained that though enumerators visited houses multiple times in GBA limits, certain sections of the society were not interested in the survey and refused to participate. 

The official highlighted the high migrant population in Bengaluru and added that many of them could not participate in the survey since they weren’t domiciled here.

Typical pattern 

The enumeration in Bengaluru has been poor during previous surveys, too.

During the statewide survey of scheduled castes (SCs) that was held earlier this year, the enumeration in the state crossed 90%, while it was merely around 50% in GBA limits (at that time it was called BBMP). 

Even the Kantharaj survey numbers had been lesser in Bengaluru (around 80%), when compared to figures from the rest of Karnataka, which crossed 95%.

“The web portal will be open for 10 more days (till November 10). If citizens who have missed out, submit a request to the helpline, GBA or respective district administration and give their phone number and address, we will coordinate for the time and send someone to their house for conducting the survey. Using the web portal login, they will help citizens to participate,” backward classes welfare department principal secretary Tulasi Maddineni said.