Tibberਤਿੱਬੇਰ

Where Tibber sits

Tibber is a large village in Gurdaspur tehsil of Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region, about 8 kilometres south of Gurdaspur town. It is the largest village in its tehsil, administered by its own gram panchayat and covering 880 hectares. Its census village code is 028301 and its PIN code is 143529. The village should not be confused with Tibri, the cantonment census town a few kilometres away, which is a separate settlement with its own record. Villages recorded around Tibber include Bahian and Mustfabad Jattan, and directory listings place Alawalpur and Talwandi about a kilometre away and Rattowal about two kilometres away.

Tibber sits about 262 metres above sea level, roughly 222 kilometres from Chandigarh. The tehsils around it are Dhariwal to the west, Kahnuwan to the south and Dorangla and Dinanagar to the north. Politically, the village falls in the Gurdaspur assembly constituency and the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency, and its telephone code, 01874, is the district's own.

People and learning

The 2011 census counted 9,410 people in Tibber, up from 8,858 in 2001: 5,071 men and 4,339 women living in 1,642 households, about 5.7 people to a household. Spread over 880 hectares, that gives a density of about 1,069 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 856 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 1,087, about 12 per cent of the village, of whom 447 were girls. Scheduled Castes made up just 211 people, about 2 per cent of the population, a strikingly small share for a Punjab village, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Learning is Tibber's strength. Literacy in 2011 stood at 81.16 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 86.23 per cent and women at 75.39 per cent. The census recorded 3,271 workers, about 35 per cent of the village. Of the 2,635 main workers, the largest group by far, 1,726 people, were other workers in trade, transport and services, well ahead of 406 cultivators and 318 household industry workers, a household industry count that is unusually high for a farming village. A further 636 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year. Counting everyone, the village held 504 cultivators and 241 agricultural labourers: most of Tibber's earners work outside farming, which fits a big village sitting in the orbit of a district headquarters town.

Land and farming

Farming still covers most of the land. Of Tibber's 880 hectares, 760 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated, all of it by canal. About 120 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 504 cultivators against 241 agricultural labourers, most of the farm work is done by landholding families themselves rather than by hired labour. Produce from the village is traded against the Dhariwal market, the mandi whose prices directory listings quote for Tibber.

Schools and health

The Census 2011 Village Directory recorded one government school at every level in Tibber: a primary school, a middle school, a secondary school and a senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. Alongside the government senior secondary school, private schools recorded in the village include New Guru Nanak High School, Mount Everest School, Guru Nanak Academy and Baba Taru Guru School. The village also has an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 were a primary health centre and a veterinary hospital; the government health centre stands opposite the senior secondary school. Treated tap water was available in the village, and the total sanitation campaign covered it. Banking in 2011 meant an ATM in the village itself, with the commercial and co-operative banks 5 to 10 kilometres away in Gurdaspur. The directory then placed the nearest post office 5 to 10 kilometres away and a sub post office within 5 kilometres; postal listings today give the village its own post office, named Tibber. The village has a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage, and power supply was recorded at 12 hours a day for domestic use and 8 hours for agriculture.

Faith in Tibber

The village's gurdwara is Gurdwara Sangat Sahib, recorded in map listings at the village's own location. For bigger occasions the sangat also looks to Gurdaspur town, 8 kilometres away, with its historic gurdwaras and the district's main religious gatherings.

Getting there

Tibber is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded both public and private bus services in the village. The nearest railway stations are Jhawar and Sohal, in the 5 to 10 kilometre band the directory records, and Gurdaspur town is the practical hub for administration, colleges and onward travel.

What is the population of Tibber?

The population of Tibber was 9,410 at the 2011 census, living in 1,642 households in Gurdaspur tehsil of Gurdaspur district. It had grown from 8,858 in 2001.

What health facilities does Tibber have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Tibber has a primary health centre and a veterinary hospital inside the village, along with an anganwadi centre and an ASHA worker.

How far is Tibber from Gurdaspur?

Tibber is about 8 kilometres south of Gurdaspur town. Public and private buses serve the village, and the nearest railway stations, Jhawar and Sohal, are 5 to 10 kilometres away.