Questionnaire in Telugu piques Old City dwellers

Hyderabad: Muslims in the Old City are reluctant to share their information with the enumerators because the questionnaire is in Telugu and not in English or Urdu, which has the status of official language in the State. As a result, many individuals are unsure about the questions being asked, causing them to refuse enumerators and skipping the survey.

The language barrier creates a significant obstacle in the Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste Survey (SEEPC), as many residents find themselves unsure about the questions being posed to them as there are over 76 queries in the survey.

According to the residents, the lack of English and Urdu language forms leads to confusion and apprehension regarding the purpose of the survey. Consequently, a considerable number of families are choosing to refuse participation, fearing miscommunication, misunderstanding, and misuse of the details shared.

“During the survey, the enumerator asked and filled the queries, and we are unaware of what was asked and what was filled in the query, as it is in Telugu. This uncertainty raises our concerns about how our responses may be utilised in the future,” said Mohd Shujath, a resident of Ramnaspura in Bahadurpura.

A head of the family in the Malakpet area, Mohammed Mubashir, questioned, “How can someone answer over 76 questions, which include personal information, without understanding the language?”

Without the ability to engage with the questionnaire in a language the families understand, the enumerators are missing out on the information from the families in Old City areas.

Addressing this issue, Mohammed Ahmed, the spokesperson for the State minority in the TDP, expressed concerns about the government's much-hyped SEEPC survey, stating that it lacks seriousness among the officials in the Old City. “If individuals struggle to understand the queries due to language barriers asked by the enumerators, how can they possibly provide accurate responses to sensitive questions?” asked Ahmed.

He said, “The responsibility falls on the officers to guarantee that all languages are represented in the government's important survey.”

Residents expressed their concerns when the enumerators arrived with a survey form available only in one language.

They appealed to a senior officer in Circle 9 to provide the form in another common language, but unfortunately, the officer did not respond favourably, and the enumerators skipped the area,” alleged Azeem, a resident of Moghalpura.

Ahmed said that it would be beneficial to provide questionnaires in more widely spoken languages in Old City, such as Urdu or English.

“This approach would not only enhance the quality of the data collected but also encourage people to participate in the survey, as Urdu is the second language in the State.”

To ensure the government's survey succeeds, ward officers must actively engage citizens and raise awareness. This outreach will help collect comprehensive data. Ahmed said, “When individuals respond to a specific question, the data collectors often just walk away.”