Bhamਭਮ

Where is Bham?

Bham 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 24 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 031764, and it covers 772 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,661 people in Bham: 1,817 men and 1,844 women, living in 846 households, an average of about 4.3 people per household. Spread over its 772 hectares, the population density works out to about 474 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1015 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 314, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,083 people, about 30 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 89.21 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 93.91 per cent and women at 84.68 per cent. The census recorded 1,206 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 1,060 main workers, the largest group, 646, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 214 cultivators on their own land and 132 agricultural labourers. A further 146 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bham's land. Of the village's 772 hectares, 697 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 526 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (526 hectares). About 11 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 11 hours a day. With 218 cultivators and 202 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, one government middle school, one government secondary school and one government senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. 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. The village had its own post office. It also had mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch, a cooperative bank branch and an ATM. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Bham 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 24 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 Thakkarwal, Badhel, Maujo Mazara and Thapal.

What is the population of Bham?

The population of Bham was 3,661 at the 2011 census, living in 846 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Bham have?

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