Sodhiwalaਸੋਧੀਵਾਲਾ

Where is Sodhiwala?

Sodhiwala is a village of Zira tehsil in Ferozepur district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Zira, about 14 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Zira community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 034402, and it covers 997 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,735 people in Sodhiwala: 923 men and 812 women, living in 316 households, an average of about 5.5 people per household. Spread over its 997 hectares, the population density works out to about 174 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 880 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 204, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 661 people, about 38 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 67.6 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 70.97 per cent and women at 63.86 per cent. The census recorded 522 workers, about 30 per cent of the village. Of the 468 main workers, the largest group, 191, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 151 agricultural labourers and 120 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 54 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sodhiwala's land. Of the village's 997 hectares, 876 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (876 hectares). About 121 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. With 192 cultivators and 162 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 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. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. The village had a sub post office. 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 five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Sodhiwala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was five to ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Zira, about 14 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Zira, the tehsil headquarters, and Ferozepur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Dhana Shahid, Pihewali, Buianwala and Malhe Shahwala.

What is the population of Sodhiwala?

The population of Sodhiwala was 1,735 at the 2011 census, living in 316 households in Zira tehsil of Ferozepur district.

What facilities does Sodhiwala have?

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