Balaspurਬਲਸਪੁਰ

Where is Balaspur?

Balaspur is a village of Garhshankar tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Mahilpur, about 7 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Mahilpur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031823, and it covers 106 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 755 people in Balaspur: 380 men and 375 women, living in 165 households, an average of about 4.6 people per household. Spread over its 106 hectares, the population density works out to about 712 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 987 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 61, about 8 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 333 people, about 44 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 87.46 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 92.09 per cent and women at 82.65 per cent. The census recorded 226 workers, about 30 per cent of the village. Of the 208 main workers, the largest group, 99, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 86 cultivators on their own land and 23 agricultural labourers. A further 18 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balaspur's land. Of the village's 106 hectares, 89 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 82 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (82 hectares). About 14 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 86 cultivators and 24 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

For village facilities, the Census 2011 Village Directory is the fullest record available. 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 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

Balaspur is reached by pucca roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Mahilpur, about 7 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than 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 Kammowal, Bambeli, Subhanpur and Mukho Mazara.

What is the population of Balaspur?

The population of Balaspur was 755 at the 2011 census, living in 165 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Balaspur have?

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