Khojalaਖੋਜਲਾ

Where is Khojala?

Khojala 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 8 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 028560, and it covers 650 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,359 people in Khojala: 1,746 men and 1,613 women, living in 650 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 650 hectares, the population density works out to about 517 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 924 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 373, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,162 people, about 35 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 70.53 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 74.52 per cent and women at 66.37 per cent. The census recorded 947 workers, about 28 per cent of the village. Of the 918 main workers, the largest group, 394, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 363 cultivators on their own land and 153 agricultural labourers. A further 29 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Khojala's land. Of the village's 650 hectares, 574 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (120 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (194 hectares). About 74 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 365 cultivators and 171 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. 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Khojala is reached by pucca roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Qadian, about 8 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 Manesh, Chinna Veeran, Dhande and Sakhowal.

What is the population of Khojala?

The population of Khojala was 3,359 at the 2011 census, living in 650 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Khojala have?

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