Delhi LG gives nod to extension of date of freezing administrative boundaries to June 30

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has given approval for extending the deadline to freeze administrative unit boundaries until June 30, 2024, in consideration of the delayed Census-2021.

A proposal of the Delhi government’s revenue department to extend the date of freezing boundaries of administrative units from January 1 to June 30, for the purpose of census exercise has been approved, a note from Raj Niwas said on Tuesday.

The Delhi government’s revenue department proposed the extension, originally seeking to push back the freezing of boundaries from January 1 to accommodate the delayed census activities.

The Registrar General India (ORGI), Ministry of Home Affairs, initially requested, through a letter dated September 6, 2019, the chief secretary of Delhi to freeze administrative unit boundaries for Census-2021 from December 31, 2019.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a delay in Census-2021, the boundaries’ freezing date was subsequently extended.

The last extension, approved by the Lieutenant Governor, set the deadline at January 1, 2024, as communicated by the revenue department’s letter on August 18, 2023.

Rule 8 (iv) of Census Rules, 1990, empowers state governments and Union Territory administrations to freeze administrative boundaries, as communicated by the Census Commissioner, not earlier than one year from the census reference date and until the completion of the census.

(With PTI inputs)