LUCKNOW, June 20 -- After a fortnight-long self-enumeration exercise and a month-long houselisting drive involving physical verification, the administration reached nearly 60 lakh people in Lucknow district. Officials say the figure may closely reflect the district's actual population, with little change expected when the final Census 2027 data is released in February next year. Compared to the 2011 Census, the district has recorded an increase of nearly 15 lakh people. In 2011, Lucknow's population stood at 45.89 lakh, comprising 23.94 lakh males and 21.95 lakh females. In 2001, the population was 36.47 lakh, including 19.32 lakh males and 17.15 lakh females. This means that over 25 years, from 2001 to 2026, the population has grown by 22.72 lakh. According to provisional figures for 2026, the administration covered 41.55 lakh people across the eight zones of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation and another 17.64 lakh in five rural blocks and the cantonment area, taking the total population covered to 59.20 lakh. For perspective, following the completion of the five-month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the number of voters in Lucknow district stood at 30.80 lakh in the revised electoral rolls published in April 2026. "These are indicative figures and projections of the district's population. The final data will be released by the Directorate of Census Operations, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, in February 2027," said an official, who did not wish to be named. The houselisting or building census also threw up an interesting trend, revealing that nearly 2.64 lakh houses in the city are either vacant or have remained locked for a long period. Of these, about 44,000 houses were found locked, while another 2.20 lakh houses had no occupants and were lying vacant. The survey indicates that a large number of homeowners do not reside in Lucknow. Most owners live in other cities and visit the state capital only occasionally. Information gathered from neighbours and local residents suggested that many homeowners are currently residing in other cities, states or even abroad. A substantial number of newly constructed houses and flats have been purchased as investments and are yet to be occupied. Experts believe that in developing residential areas, buyers are acquiring properties in anticipation of future gains. To ascertain the status of vacant houses, census personnel collected information from neighbours and, in several cases, contacted owners over the phone. It emerged that a significant number of these properties belong to people currently living outside Lucknow. Officials said many owners purchased houses out of personal interest, while enumerators found several houses in colonies and apartment complexes that had remained locked for extended periods....