CHENNAI: City population does not keep pace with IT, services boom

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on April 2, 2011:

Link:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/census-chennais-population-up-by-78-percent/261811.html

CHENNAI: Chennai city has three lakh more people living in it now than it had in 2001. The growth of population in the past decade has been at a rate of 7.8 pc, remarkably lower than the anticipated double digit growth, given the IT and hospitality sector boom in the corresponding period.

The state-specific (provisi onal) census data released by the Directorate of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu here on Friday indicated that the population growth between 1991 and 2001 was 13.1 pc.

While the city's population in 2001 was 43,43,645, the recent figures revealed that it had risen to 46,81,087, with an addition of over 3.37 lakh heads. Of these, 23,57,663 were males, while 23,23,454 were females.

In the neighbouring Thiruvallur district, the 2001 population was 27,54,756, while in 2011 it was 37,25,697 and in the Kancheepuram district it was 28,77,468 in 2001 and 39,90,897 in 2011.

This is possibly due to migration of workers mainly in the IT and ITES sector to the suburbs and also due to migration of people seeking better prospects from other regions. The city has also has more youth and aged people. Of the 46.81 lakh heads declared in the recent census, the city has about 32 lakh voters (aged above 18).

Another surprise in the census data was from the 0-6 age group population in the city, which has witnessed a decline of about 3.5 pc when compared to 2001 figures.

While the total child population stood at 4,33,340 in the 2001 census, it has declined to 4,18,541 in 2011.

Though the decline in birth rate in the city may be attributed to the family planning projects, girls are the ones who lost the race to boys during the period.

Of the missing 14,799 heads in 0-6 age-group in the last 10 years, the numbers of girls was 8,163 and boys 6,636.