The first phase of Census 2027 wraps up in Kolkata today, Monday 14 September, and a fair number of households across the city have spent the past month wondering when the enumerator would knock. Some are still wondering. Residents in Rajdanga, Kasba and Beleghata have said nobody came, and a few had skipped the online self-enumeration in August precisely because they expected a visit. If that describes your home, the official message today is straightforward: you have not been left out, and you do not need to chase anyone down before the deadline passes.
Here is what the house-listing phase covered, what happens to homes that were missed, and what the second phase in February will ask of you.
What Phase 1 Actually Was
The exercise that began on 1 August was the house-listing and housing census, not the head count. It records the building itself and the basics of how the household lives: the condition of the house, the number of rooms, whether there is a toilet, where the drinking water comes from, what fuel is used for cooking, whether there is electricity and an internet connection. It does not collect the demographic detail (age, literacy, occupation, migration and so on) that most people associate with a census.
The first two weeks, 1 to 15 August, were reserved for online self-enumeration. Door-to-door visits by enumerators began on 15 August and ran through to today. The Census office had said enumerators would visit every household whether or not it had self-enumerated, which is why some residents who had already filled in the form online were still expecting a knock. Across West Bengal, close to two lakh enumerators were deployed for this phase, and within Kolkata field teams identified roughly 13 lakh households.
What Happens If Nobody Came to Your Home
An official at the state’s Directorate of Census Operations has said households not covered during the house-listing phase will be picked up during the population enumeration phase, and that residents have no reason to worry. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which ran the door-to-door work inside the city, says almost all of the 13 lakh identified households were covered and that the remainder will be visited in the second phase.
There is also a live channel to flag the gap now. The Census helpline 1855 runs round the clock, and it has already been fielding calls from Kolkata residents reporting that no enumerator reached them. According to a KMC official, the civic body has been dispatching enumerators to addresses from which such calls came in. So if you want your household on the list before the phase formally closes rather than waiting for February, calling 1855 today is the thing to do.
Phase 2: The Population Count in February 2027
The second phase is the actual population enumeration, scheduled from 9 to 28 February 2027, followed by a revisional round from 1 to 5 March 2027 to correct and update entries. This is the round that collects the detail: age, sex, literacy, religion, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe status, disability, languages known, economic activity status and migration history.
For a household that was missed in Phase 1, the February visit will in effect cover both stages. It is worth keeping any reference number or acknowledgement you received during self-enumeration, if you did complete it, so the February enumerator can link the records.
Practical Tips for Kolkata Households
- If no enumerator visited and you did not self-enumerate online, call 1855 and give your full address, including the ward number if you know it. Do not assume your building’s caretaker or association handled it.
- If you did self-enumerate in August, keep the acknowledgement or reference. You are on record even if nobody came to the door afterwards.
- Genuine enumerators carry an official ID and a letter of authorisation, and they do not ask for money, bank details, Aadhaar numbers or OTPs. Anyone doing so is not from the Census.
- Tenants and PG residents count as households at the address where they live. Landlords do not fill in the form on a tenant’s behalf for the population phase.
- For flats and gated complexes, the enumerator will usually work through the building’s occupancy list. Check with your association that your flat number appears on it.
- Mark the February 2027 window in your calendar now. That is the visit that matters most, and being available or leaving a contact number with a neighbour will save a repeat trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
The house-listing deadline is today. Can I still be counted?
Yes. Households missed in Phase 1 will be covered during the population enumeration in February 2027. You can also call the helpline 1855 now to report that no enumerator visited.
Is the 1855 helpline free and open at night?
It has been described as a 24×7 helpline. It is a short-code number, so it should connect from any mobile or landline in India.
I filled in the online form in August but nobody came. Is something wrong?
No. Self-enumeration puts your household on record. The door-to-door visit was meant to verify and supplement it, and its absence does not remove you from the count.
What did Phase 1 ask about?
The house and its amenities: structure, rooms, drinking water source, toilet, electricity, cooking fuel and internet access. Personal details such as age, occupation and literacy belong to Phase 2.
Will the February enumerator ask about caste?
The population enumeration schedule includes Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe status, along with religion, language, disability, work and migration.
Who is running the exercise in Kolkata?
The Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal, under the Office of the Registrar General of India, with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation providing the field enumerators inside city limits.
The Bottom Line
Missing an enumerator in Phase 1 is an inconvenience, not a problem. The house-listing round was the smaller of the two, the population count in February is the one that determines the numbers that matter, and both the Census directorate and KMC have said uncovered homes will be picked up then. The single useful action today is a call to 1855 if you were skipped, so your address is flagged before the file for this phase closes. If you never got around to the online form, our earlier guide to KMC’s digital self-enumeration process explains what it covered and why it was worth doing.
Sources: Statements by the Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal, and Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials on the close of the house-listing phase, as reported by Urban Acres and the Times of India on 14 September 2026; the Census 2027 phase schedule published by ANI on 1 September 2026 quoting West Bengal’s in-charge Census Director; and the population enumeration and revisional round dates listed on the Census West Bengal website.
Featured image: an old residential house in Kolkata, photo by Sushmita Nag on Unsplash.
