Faizan Wani
Srinagar, Sep 8: Setting the stage for conduct of census 2021, the administration of Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory has notified that boundaries of all the administrative units will be frozen from December 31 onwards.
The Jammu & Kashmir’s Planning Development and Monitoring department has come up with a notification to order freezing of administrative boundaries of districts, tehsils, villages etc. from December 31 till completion of the decennial headcount exercise.
“In exercise of powers conferred by clause (IV) of rule 8 of the Census Rules, 1900 and in suppression of earlier notification issued in this behalf, the government hereby freezes the boundaries of districts/ tehsils, municipalities/ towns, revenue villages and other administrative units in the whole Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir w.e.f 31st December 2021 till completion of census 2021,” read the notification.
The notification has been issued as the law governing conduct of census mandates states and UTs to freeze boundaries of administrative units when the exercise is underway.
The Clause-IV of Rule 8 of the Census Rules, 1990 empowers the state governments and administration of union territories to freeze the administrative boundaries from the date to be intimated by the Census Commissioner which shall not be earlier than one year from the census reference date and till the completion of the census.
It is worthwhile to mention that the Delimitation commission has also ordered a freeze on creation of new ”administrative units” in Jammu and Kashmir from June 15, 2020 till the exercise is completed.
The delimitation commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retired) Ranjana Desai, was constituted on March 6 last year.
