Basialaਬਸਿਆਲਾ

Where is Basiala?

Basiala is a village of Garhshankar tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Garhshankar, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Garhshankar community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031978, and it covers 234 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,369 people in Basiala: 669 men and 700 women, living in 311 households, an average of about 4.4 people per household. Spread over its 234 hectares, the population density works out to about 585 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1046 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 123, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 358 people, about 26 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 83.47 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 89.24 per cent and women at 78.04 per cent. The census recorded 393 workers, about 29 per cent of the village. Of the 370 main workers, the largest group, 231, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 82 cultivators on their own land and 46 agricultural labourers. A further 23 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Basiala's land. Of the village's 234 hectares, 203 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (203 hectares). About 28 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 84 cultivators and 50 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 and one government secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 10. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health centre and a dispensary. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub post office. It also had mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Basiala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Garhshankar, about 6 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 Chauhra, Rasulpur, Denowal Kalan and Bakapur Guru.

What is the population of Basiala?

The population of Basiala was 1,369 at the 2011 census, living in 311 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Basiala have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Basiala has government schools from primary to secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a sub post office.