Census (Amendment)



Census (Amendment)
AN ACT TO AMEND THE CENSUS ORDINANCE

BE it enacted by the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka as follows :”

[18th August
, 2000
]
Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the Census (Amendment) Act, No. 55 of 2000.

Replacement of sections 2 and 3 of Chapter 143.

2. Sections 2 and 3 of the Census Ordinance (hereinafter referred to as the “principal enactment”) as last amended by Act, No. 16 of 1981 are hereby repealed and the following sections substituted therefor: ”

‘Minister to direct taking of census.

2. It shall be lawful for the Minister from time to time, by Order published in the Gazette, to direct that a census be taken of the population, housing, agriculture, livestock, trade, labour, industry, construction or commerce or such other matters as he may deem necessary for ascertaining the demographic, social or economic condition of the inhabitants of Sri Lanka.

Appointment of Superintendent of Census .

3. To superintend the taking of any census, there shall be appointed an officer to be called “the Superintendent of Census”. If an appointment to the office of the Superintendent of Census is not made, the Director-General of Census and Statistics appointed under the Statistics Ordinance shall exercise, perform and discharge, all such powers, duties and functions as are conferred or imposed on, assigned to. the Superintendent of Census by this Ordinance.’.

Amendment of section 5 of the principal enactment.

3. Section 5 of the principal enactment as last amended by Act No. 16 of 1981 is hereby further amended by the repeal of subsection (4) of that section and the substitution therefor, of the following subsection :”

“(4) Any person committing any breach of any such rule shall, on conviction before a Magistrate, be liable to imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding ten thousand rupees, or to both such imprisonment and fine”.

Replacement of section 6 of the principal enactment

4. Section 6 of the principal enactment as last amended by Act No. 16 of 1981 is hereby repealed and the following section substituted therefor :”

District Secretary and Mayor Chairman or Special Commissioner of Municipal Council or Urban Council to be Commissioners.

6. The District Secretary of a District Secretary’s Division shall be the Commissioner of Census for his District and the Mayor, Chairman or Special Commissioner, where any local authority is administered by a Special Commissioner, of every Municipal Council and Urban Council shall be Commissioner of Census for the local area, of such Municipal Council or Urban Council :

Provided that any other person may be appointed as Commissioner for such District or such Municipal Council or Urban Council area.”.

Amendment of section 7 of the principal enactment.

5. Section 7 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution”

(1) in the marginal note for the words “Assistant Commissioners” of the words “Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners” ; and

(2) for the words “an Assistant Commissioner of Census to assist” of the words “a Deputy Commissioner of Census and an Assistant Commissioner of Census to assist”.

Amendment of section 9 of the principal enactment.

6. Section 9 of the principal enactment as amended by Act No. 16 of 1981 is hereby further amended by the substitution, for the words “Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner”, of the words “Commissioner. Deputy Commissioner. Assistant Commissioner”.

Amendment of section 21 of the principal enactment.

7. Section 21 of the principal enactment as amended by Act No. 16 of 1981 is hereby further amended as follows :”

(1) in subsection (1) of that section, by the substitution, for the words ”a term not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding five thousand rupees”, of the words “for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding ten thousand rupees” ;

(2) in subsection (2) of that section, by the substitution, for the words ”a term not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding five thousand rupees”, of the words “a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding ten thousand rupees”; and

(3) in subsection (3) of that section, by the substitution, for the words “a term not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding five thousand rupees”, of the words “a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding ten thousand rupees”.

Amendment of Statistics Ordinance and other written law.

8. Wherever in any provision of the Statistics Ordinance or other written law or of any notice, communication, form or other document issued, made required or authorised by the Statistics Ordinance or such other written law, the expression “Director of Statistics” occurs, there shall be substituted for that expression, the expression “Director-General of Census and Statistics”, and accordingly, wherever in any such provisions there is a reference to “Director” denoting the Director of Statistics, such reference shall be read and construed as a reference to the Director-General of Census and Statistics.

Sinhala text to prevail in case of inconsistancy.

9. In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.