ISLAMABAD, MAY 16, (DNA) – Officials in the capital city have informed media sources that the authorities may have to extend the deadline for the census in Islamabad by a month in order to ensure that the exercise has been completed in a comprehensive manner.

They, however, blame poor planning and underestimations as projected by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).Officials from the PBS, the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration and Islamabad Police are thus expected to hold a meeting on Tuesday (today), to review the issues and decide on the extension of the deadline.

 An officer familiar with the developments in the ongoing census is reported to have said that various sprawling societies located in the Lohi Bher area had been indicated as ‘fields’ as per the PBS record when the blocks were drawn ahead of the census. This led to underestimation, which was confirmed by the visiting teams who witnessed sprawling housing societies in the area. He thus hinted that the exercise may need to be extended in order that it is completed accurately and comprehensively in the capital.

Furthermore, he indicated that some of the localities were missing from the PBS record. Therefore, some blocks will be revised and added, he stated.

PBS Member Census Habibullah Khan stated that that the planning for the census may have certain shortcomings. However, efforts to remove these are underway by the creation of additional blocks and hiring of additional staff.

The census in Islamabad commenced on April 25 as part of the second phase of the activity. It was scheduled to be completed by May 25, however, it is likely that the deadline would be extended beyond May. The city has been divided into 135 circles for counting the number of houses and people living there.