Akalgarhਅਕਲਗੜ੍ਹ

Where is Akalgarh?

Akalgarh is a village in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Garhshankar, about 5 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Garhshankar community development block and is served by the Akalgash gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031963, and it covers 94 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 649 people in Akalgarh: 340 men and 309 women, living in 146 households, an average of about 4.4 people per household. Spread over its 94 hectares, the population density works out to about 690 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 909 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 94, about 14 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 387 people, about 60 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 71.35 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 74.91 per cent and women at 67.54 per cent. The census recorded 205 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 183 main workers, the largest group, 116, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 40 cultivators on their own land and 26 agricultural labourers. A further 22 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Akalgarh's land. Of the village's 94 hectares, 84 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 80 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (80 hectares). About 10 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 41 cultivators and 32 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health sub-centre and a dispensary. Treated tap water was available in the village. 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Akalgarh is reached by village roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Garhshankar, about 5 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Garhshankar, the tehsil headquarters, and Hoshiarpur city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Jiwanpur Gujran, Wahidpur, Badesron and Khabra.

What is the population of Akalgarh?

The population of Akalgarh was 649 at the 2011 census, living in 146 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Akalgarh have?

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