Bhekhowalਭੇਖੋਵਾਲ

Where is Bhekhowal?

Bhekhowal is a village in Hoshiarpur tehsil of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Hoshiarpur, about 12 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 031457, and it covers 298 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,912 people in Bhekhowal: 988 men and 924 women, living in 386 households, an average of about 5.0 people per household. Spread over its 298 hectares, the population density works out to about 642 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 935 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 225, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 756 people, about 40 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 85.95 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 90.82 per cent and women at 80.87 per cent. The census recorded 631 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 436 main workers, the largest group, 300, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 104 cultivators on their own land and 18 agricultural labourers. A further 195 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bhekhowal's land. Of the village's 298 hectares, 263 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (263 hectares). About 33 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 11 hours a day. The census recorded 119 cultivators and 126 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, one government middle 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 dispensary and a veterinary hospital. 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 17 hours a day.

Getting there

Bhekhowal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was five to ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Hoshiarpur, about 12 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to 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 Adamwal Gari, Chak Sawana, Kailon and Jalalpur.

What is the population of Bhekhowal?

The population of Bhekhowal was 1,912 at the 2011 census, living in 386 households in Hoshiarpur tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Bhekhowal have?

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