Bhakalਭਕਲ

Where is Bhakal?

Bhakal is a village of Hoshiarpur tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Hoshiarpur, about 11 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Hoshiarpur-I community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031613, and it covers 53 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 510 people in Bhakal: 258 men and 252 women, living in 104 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 53 hectares, the population density works out to about 962 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 977 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 50, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 325 people, about 64 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 85.43 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 89.7 per cent and women at 81.06 per cent. The census recorded 141 workers, about 28 per cent of the village. Of the 141 main workers, the largest group, 101, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 21 agricultural labourers and 18 cultivators on their own land.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bhakal's land. Of the village's 53 hectares, 45 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 38 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (38 hectares). About 8 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. The census recorded 18 cultivators and 21 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bhakal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Hoshiarpur, about 11 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Hoshiarpur, the tehsil headquarters, and Hoshiarpur city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Muradpur Guru, Bhola, Kotla Naudh Singh and Pandori Khajoor.

What is the population of Bhakal?

The population of Bhakal was 510 at the 2011 census, living in 104 households in Hoshiarpur tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Bhakal have?

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