Bala Chakਬਲਾ ਚੱਕ

Where is Bala Chak?

Bala Chak is a village in Tarn Taran tehsil of Tarn Taran district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Tarn Taran, about 16 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Tarn Taran community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 037872, and it covers 433 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,828 people in Bala Chak: 990 men and 838 women, living in 302 households, an average of about 6.1 people per household. Spread over its 433 hectares, the population density works out to about 422 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 846 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 220, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 379 people, about 21 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 73.94 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 79.4 per cent and women at 67.61 per cent. The census recorded 610 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 536 main workers, the largest group, 310, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 81 agricultural labourers and 80 cultivators on their own land. A further 74 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 433 hectares, 367 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (50 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (317 hectares). About 61 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 14 hours a day. The census recorded 83 cultivators and 90 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities. Education in the village runs through one government primary school and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. It also had a PDS ration shop. 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 public bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Tarn Taran, about 16 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Tarn Taran, the tehsil headquarters, and Tarn Taran town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Pandori Ran Singh, Gohalwarh, Rakh Bhohru and Kotli.

What is the population of Bala Chak?

The population of Bala Chak was 1,828 at the 2011 census, living in 302 households in Tarn Taran tehsil of Tarn Taran district.

What facilities does Bala Chak have?

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