Noida contractual staff protest against Census duty

Noida: Contractual workers employed by the Noida Authority staged a protest on Thursday against being assigned Census duties, arguing that such responsibilities historically fell to permanent employees and should not be imposed on workers hired through contractors.

The workers, organised under the Contractual Workers’ Union, gathered at the Authority’s water department office in Sector 5 and demanded their names be removed from the duty roster. They said they were directed to attend Census training sessions at Mayur School in Sector 126 from May 7 to 9, and that most refused to comply.

Devendra Kumar Sharma, president of the union, said the Authority employed nearly 4,500 contractual workers. “We are hired through contractors and we do not get benefits like regular employees. We demand that the Authority engage us directly and then assign us Census duties. Being contractual workers, we should not be forced to perform Census duties,” he said.

Ramniwas, who works in the Authority’s electrical department, said he was assigned training despite a heart condition. “I am suffering from heart ailments and have all the medical proofs and prescriptions. Despite this, I have also been assigned Census duties,” he said.

RP Singh, general manager, water department, said the protest was unrelated to his department. Another Authority official said talks were under way to address the workers’ concerns.

The protest coincides with the launch of Census 2027’s self-enumeration window, which opened on May 7 and runs until May 21, allowing residents to submit household details digitally through the official Census portal. Door-to-door house-listing is scheduled from May 22 to June 20, during which the contractual workers are expected to be deployed.
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