Gumjalਗੁਂਜਲ

Where is Gumjal?

Gumjal is a village of Abohar tehsil in Fazilka district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Abohar, about 22 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Khuian Sarwar community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035159, and it covers 1,522 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,360 people in Gumjal: 1,263 men and 1,097 women, living in 449 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 1,522 hectares, the population density works out to about 155 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 869 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 280, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 429 people, about 18 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 67.93 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 78.82 per cent and women at 55.59 per cent. The census recorded 747 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 728 main workers, the largest group, 283, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 269 cultivators on their own land and 176 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 19 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Gumjal's land. Of the village's 1,522 hectares, 1,447 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 1,439 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (1,391 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (48 hectares). About 75 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 274 cultivators and 288 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had its own post office. It also had 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

Gumjal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Abohar, about 22 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Abohar, the tehsil headquarters, and Fazilka town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Usman Khera, Paniwala Mahla, Kaler Khera and Bhanger Khera.

What is the population of Gumjal?

The population of Gumjal was 2,360 at the 2011 census, living in 449 households in Abohar tehsil of Fazilka district.

What facilities does Gumjal have?

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