Bala Chakਬਲਾ ਚੱਕ

Where is Bala Chak?

Bala Chak is a village of Baba Bakala tehsil in Amritsar district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Jandiala, about 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Tarsika community development block and is served by the Bala Chak Mashmula Khaira gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 037768, and it covers 110 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 464 people in Bala Chak: 233 men and 231 women, living in 85 households, an average of about 5.5 people per household. Spread over its 110 hectares, the population density works out to about 422 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 991 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 49, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 216 people, about 47 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 69.4 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 73.3 per cent and women at 65.55 per cent. The census recorded 144 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 79 main workers, the largest group, 33, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 29 other workers in trade, transport and services and 15 household industry workers. A further 65 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bala Chak's land. Of the village's 110 hectares, 94 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (94 hectares). About 16 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 36 cultivators and 33 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

For village facilities, the Census 2011 Village Directory is the fullest record available. Education in the village runs through one government primary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bala Chak is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Jandiala, about 13 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Baba Bakala, the tehsil headquarters, and Amritsar city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Khera, Bathu Chak, Sidhwan and Kazikot.

What is the population of Bala Chak?

The population of Bala Chak was 464 at the 2011 census, living in 85 households in Baba Bakala tehsil of Amritsar district.

What facilities does Bala Chak have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Bala Chak has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.