Census (Amendment) Act 2000

This Act may be cited as the Census (Amendment)

Act, No. 55 of 2000.

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Act, No. 16 of 1981 are hereby repealed and the following sections substituted therefor : —

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.

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.’.

‘Minister to direct taking of census.

Appointment of Superin-tendent of

Census.

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”.

Section 6 of the principal enactment as last amended by Act No. 16 of 1981 is hereby repealed and the following section substituted therefor :—

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.”.

Section 7 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution—

in the marginal note for the words “Assistant

for the words “an Assistant Commissioner of Census to assist” of the words “a Deputy Commissioner of

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”.

Section 21 of the principal enactment as amended by

Act No. 16 of 1981 is hereby further amended as follows :—

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” ;

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

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”.

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.

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