Boundaries of Administrative Units to be Frozen from July 1 for Census

Hyderabad: In preparation for the upcoming national population census, the Telangana state government will freeze the boundaries of all administrative units starting July 1, 2025. This move, aimed at ensuring accurate and consistent data collection, will restrict any changes to administrative borders beyond June 30, 2025.

According to official sources, the revenue department will issue a notification within a week prescribing the final boundaries of districts, revenue divisions, sub-divisions, mandals, gram panchayats, and urban local bodies (ULBs). These boundaries will remain unchanged until the completion of the census.

The decision is in accordance with clause (IV) of Rule 8 of the Census Rules, 1990, which mandates that the boundaries of administrative units must be frozen from a date not earlier than one year prior to the census. The freeze is essential to avoid data inconsistencies and overlaps that could arise due to mid-census boundary changes.

Any changes in administrative units will be allowed only till June 30, 2025, to accommodate any necessary reorganisations due to demographic shifts, governance requirements, or disaster management considerations.

“Stability of administrative boundaries during the census period is critical for ensuring accuracy and reliability in data collection,” an official said. “Post-census, this data will aid the government in making targeted financial provisions and improving administrative efficiency.”

In a related development, the state government on June 3 issued a schedule for the delimitation of wards in 30 newly-formed or expanded urban local bodies (ULBs). This includes 18 new urban bodies, where 12 to 32 wards are expected to be constituted, and 12 areas merged into existing municipalities, where up to 60 wards may be created.

Municipal commissioners and special officers in locations including Karimnagar, Ramagundam, Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Kothagudem, Kollapur, Alair, Banswada, Narsampet, Parigi, Jagtial, Haliya, Kohir and others have been instructed to gather feedback from the public and elected representatives between June 5 and 11. The suggestions were reviewed between June 12 and 16, and proposals are to be submitted to district collectors between June 17 and 18.

The final report will be sent to the commissioner and director of Municipal Administration on June 19 and forwarded to the government on June 20. A final notification is scheduled to be issued on June 21. Once finalised, these boundary definitions will be locked in to facilitate the smooth and efficient conduct of the population census across the state.