Harchowalਹਰਚੋਵਲ

Where is Harchowal?

Harchowal is a village in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Qadian, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Qadian community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028526, and it covers 957 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 5,291 people in Harchowal: 2,723 men and 2,568 women, living in 973 households, an average of about 5.4 people per household. Spread over its 957 hectares, the population density works out to about 553 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 943 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 513, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 77 people, about 1 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 72.06 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 75.91 per cent and women at 68.04 per cent. The census recorded 1,524 workers, about 29 per cent of the village. Of the 1,065 main workers, the largest group, 547, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 408 other workers in trade, transport and services and 57 agricultural labourers. A further 459 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Harchowal's land. Of the village's 957 hectares, 819 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (626 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (193 hectares). About 138 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 10 hours a day. With 588 cultivators and 138 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

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, one government middle school, one government secondary school and one government senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. 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 a PDS ration shop, mobile phone coverage and an internet common service centre. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch and a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Harchowal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Qadian, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Batala, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Aulakh, Basrai, Moor and Dhapai.

What is the population of Harchowal?

The population of Harchowal was 5,291 at the 2011 census, living in 973 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Harchowal have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Harchowal has government schools from primary to senior secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a post office.