Bihalaਬਿਹਲਾ

Where is Bihala?

Bihala 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 15 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Hoshiarpur-II community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031541, and it covers 218 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,635 people in Bihala: 805 men and 830 women, living in 343 households, an average of about 4.8 people per household. Spread over its 218 hectares, the population density works out to about 750 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1031 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 144, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 604 people, about 37 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 87.66 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 90.87 per cent and women at 84.64 per cent. The census recorded 530 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 500 main workers, the largest group, 189, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 159 other workers in trade, transport and services and 151 cultivators on their own land. A further 30 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bihala's land. Of the village's 218 hectares, 179 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 172 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (172 hectares). About 34 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 15 hours a day. The census recorded 151 cultivators and 200 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, 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.

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 its own post office. 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 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Bihala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Hoshiarpur, about 15 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 Lehli Kalan, Sasoli, Kalian and Sinan.

What is the population of Bihala?

The population of Bihala was 1,635 at the 2011 census, living in 343 households in Hoshiarpur tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Bihala have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Bihala has government schools from primary to senior secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a post office. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.