Balaਬਲਾ

Where is Bala?

Bala is a village in Dasua tehsil of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Dasua, about 3 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Dasua community development block and is served by the Bala Kulian gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 030768, and it covers 134 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,697 people in Bala: 1,919 men and 1,778 women, living in 709 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 134 hectares, the population density works out to about 2,759 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 927 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 396, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,206 people, about 33 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 79.01 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 82.61 per cent and women at 75.2 per cent. The census recorded 1,092 workers, about 30 per cent of the village. Of the 933 main workers, the largest group, 418, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 343 cultivators on their own land and 155 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 159 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bala's land. Of the village's 134 hectares, 110 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (110 hectares). About 24 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 360 cultivators and 460 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. 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 within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bala is reached by pucca roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Dasua, about 3 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Dasua, the tehsil headquarters, and Hoshiarpur city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Jand, Kotli Khurd, Ghaian and Fatehullapur.

What is the population of Bala?

The population of Bala was 3,697 at the 2011 census, living in 709 households in Dasua tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Bala have?

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