Shahbadਸ਼ਹਬਡ

Where is Shahbad?

Shahbad is a village in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Batala, about 4 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Batala community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028705, and it covers 214 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,556 people in Shahbad: 824 men and 732 women, living in 303 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 214 hectares, the population density works out to about 727 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 888 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 194, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 573 people, about 37 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 72.47 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 78.47 per cent and women at 65.73 per cent. The census recorded 719 workers, about 46 per cent of the village. Of the 682 main workers, the largest group, 520, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 109 cultivators on their own land and 33 agricultural labourers. A further 37 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Shahbad's land. Of the village's 214 hectares, 193 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (193 hectares). About 21 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. With 110 cultivators and 36 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 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 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

Shahbad is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Batala, about 4 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 Masanian, Sangatpura, Pind Purana and Bhadur Hussain.

What is the population of Shahbad?

The population of Shahbad was 1,556 at the 2011 census, living in 303 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Shahbad have?

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