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Firewood is still the major cooking fuel although its use has declined from 32.13 per cent of the household to 30.2 per cent in 2000. Use of LPG has picked up considerably although its use still remains restricted to the urban areas.

KOLKATA, April 3

A DECREASE in the number of factories and an increase in the number of places of worship. Substantial use of firewood as cooking fuel and the poor spread of LPG in the rural areas.

These were some of the interesting facts thrown up by Mr Vikram Sen, Director of Census Operations, West Bengal while presenting a study on `Amenties available to Households' as per the 2001 Census.

Mr Sen said that while the average population size had declined from 5.44 persons per household to 5.11 between the 1990 and the 2002 census, the concept of the nuclear family had spread with the majority of households (74.47 per cent) having only one married couple to a house. The pattern was evident in the rural areas too.

On the `serious' decline in the number of factories and workshops — from 2.91 lakhs to 1.77 lakhs — Mr Sen was unwilling to comment beyond saying that all the districts in the State had reported a decline in the number of factories, workshops and worksheds with the highest decline being noticed in Midnapore, North 24 Parganas and Barddhaman.

He however mentioned that it was possible that this was due to mergers and a "breaking down of boundary walls of existing factory premises'' (which has created a single house for census purposes).

However there is a jump in the number of hotels, lodges and guest houses, from 11,710 in 1990 to 23,961 in 2000 with the highest increase taking place in Kolkata.

Firewood is still the major cooking fuel although its use has declined from 32.13 per cent of the household to 30.2 per cent in 2000. Use of LPG has picked up considerably although its use still remains restricted to the urban areas with only 2.33 per cent of the rural households using it. For them kerosene and cow dung cake remains the major source, besides firewood in the forest covered districts.

As regards the availability of TV, radio, bicycles, telephones and cars, Mr Sen said that 58.8 per cent of the urban households and 13.39 per cent of the rural households have television sets. Among rural households 1.21 per cent had car, jeep or van while 3.57 per cent of urban households have these assets.

Although the kerosene lamps bring light to 79 per cent households in the rural areas, in the urban areas 70 per cent of the households have electricity.

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