Residents growing ‘sick’ of civic body’s survey?

CHENNAI: Residents are growing tired of the door-to-door survey being carried out by the city corporation, claim the ground staff. For two months now, domestic breeding checkers and temporary staff hired to carry out these surveys have been going around their designated areas, covering about 50 to 120 houses on a regular basis.   

“People patiently answered all our questions the first month. Now, they ask us why we come every day. They find it to be a disturbance,” said Mohanaprasanna who undertakes the survey in zone 5, one of the worst affected zones in the district. Here, questions are digitised and answers are recorded in a mobile application.

“I tread cautiously, to avoid being scolded or insulted. They are rude, but none has shouted at me till date,” said the 19-year-old, who has had quite a few doors slammed at her face. Fathima (24), who takes the survey in the Madhavaram, shares similar experience. “More often than not, residents ask more questions than they answer. The minute they see me, they say everyone’s fine and ask me to get going.

However, when I explain that it is for their own benefit, they are more patient. From time to time, they ask me why I don’t bring Kabasura kudineer and vitamin tablets for them instead of asking questions,” she said.  

Workers said that initially names and addresses of residents were collected every day. As residents began growing restless, this information is now collected once in 15 days and is copied from their previous entries on other days. However, a corporation official said they have taken cognisance of the matter and started briefing residents on how the exercise will help them.

“We have issued a short guide for workers taking the survey,” the official said. The guide includes a list of questions for the workers themselves and instructions to brief residents on the virus. The guide also contains questions like whether garbage has been cleared from the streets, if bleaching powder has been sprayed in dustbins, if sewage is running on the streets.