Meghowal (Garhshankar)ਮੇਘੋਵਾਲ

Where is Meghowal?

Meghowal 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 6 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 031921, and it covers 543 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,818 people in Meghowal: 888 men and 930 women, living in 385 households, an average of about 4.7 people per household. Spread over its 543 hectares, the population density works out to about 335 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1047 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 180, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 720 people, about 40 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 84.49 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 88.32 per cent and women at 80.79 per cent. The census recorded 577 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 465 main workers, the largest group, 303, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 134 cultivators on their own land and 16 household industry workers. A further 112 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Meghowal's land. Of the village's 543 hectares, 443 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 302 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (302 hectares). About 70 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 12 hours a day. With 136 cultivators and 19 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included an allopathic hospital, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub post office. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch and a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Meghowal is reached by village roads; the nearest bus service was five to ten kilometres away. 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 Chak Natha, Mehngerwal, Malewal and Jiwanpur Jattan.

What is the population of Meghowal?

The population of Meghowal was 1,818 at the 2011 census, living in 385 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Meghowal have?

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