Pakhowalਪਖੋਵਾਲ

Where is Pakhowal?

Pakhowal 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 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Garhshankar community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031957, and it covers 246 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,105 people in Pakhowal: 569 men and 536 women, living in 236 households, an average of about 4.7 people per household. Spread over its 246 hectares, the population density works out to about 449 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 942 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 109, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 458 people, about 41 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 81.33 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 88.93 per cent and women at 73.18 per cent. The census recorded 359 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 268 main workers, the largest group, 137, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 109 cultivators on their own land and 21 agricultural labourers. A further 91 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Pakhowal's land. Of the village's 246 hectares, 216 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 158 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (158 hectares). About 23 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 15 hours a day. With 111 cultivators and 91 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. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. The village had a sub 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

Pakhowal is reached by pucca roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Garhshankar, about 8 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 Bharowal, Bihran, Bariana and Satnaur.

What is the population of Pakhowal?

The population of Pakhowal was 1,105 at the 2011 census, living in 236 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Pakhowal have?

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