Census 2021, Date of Freezing of Boundaries of Administrative Units in Connection with Census Operations, Extended up to 31st December 2021, Orders Issued

What the government order does

Government Order (Ms.) Number 447 of the Government of Tamil Nadu, Public Department (Law Officers), dated 4 August 2021, extends until 31 December 2021 the freeze on boundaries of administrative units for Census 2021 operations.

The administrative units listed include:

• Municipalities.
• Revenue villages.
• Towns.
• Tehsils.
• Police stations.
• Subdivisions.
• Districts.
• Other administrative units covered by the decision.

The original government decision froze these boundaries and banned the formation of new units from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2020. Later government orders extended the date first to 31 December 2020 and then to 31 March 2021. Government Order (Ms.) Number 447 further extends it to 31 December 2021.

Reason for the extension

Government Order (Ms.) Number 447 records that the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, had not decided the period for conducting the forthcoming census because of conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Registrar General and Census Commissioner requested that instructions be issued so that any changes to administrative boundaries would be given effect no later than 31 December 2021.

Pending boundary proposals

Government Order (Ms.) Number 447 states that pending proposals affecting existing boundaries of municipalities, revenue villages, towns, tehsils, police stations, subdivisions, districts and similar units may be finalised on or before 31 December 2021.

The Director of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu, must be informed when such pending proposals are finalised.

Who must comply

Government Order (Ms.) Number 447 directs the following authorities to follow the decision:

• Commissioner of Revenue Administration.
• Director General of Police.
• Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
• Director of Municipal Administration.
• Director of Town Panchayats.
• Collectors of all districts.
• Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation.
• Commissioners of municipal corporations.

Relevance to property owners and buyers

Government Order (Ms.) Number 447 concerns administrative boundaries used in connection with census operations. It does not identify any individual property, survey number or specific boundary alteration. A buyer, owner or professional dealing with land near an administrative boundary may need to check whether any pending boundary proposal was finalised by 31 December 2021.