Gakhalਗਖਲ

Where is Gakhal?

Gakhal is a village of Jalandhar West tehsil in Jalandhar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Jalandhar, about 3 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Jalandhar (West) community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 030429, and it covers 186 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,201 people in Gakhal: 1,133 men and 1,068 women, living in 444 households, an average of about 5.0 people per household. Spread over its 186 hectares, the population density works out to about 1,183 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 943 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 164, about 7 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 296 people, about 13 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 83.26 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 88.97 per cent and women at 77.26 per cent. The census recorded 685 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 664 main workers, the largest group, 401, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 251 cultivators on their own land and 7 household industry workers. A further 21 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Gakhal's land. Of the village's 186 hectares, 159 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (159 hectares). About 27 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 251 cultivators and 6 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

For village facilities, the Census 2011 Village Directory is the fullest record available. Education in the village runs through one government primary school and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. 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 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Gakhal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Jalandhar, about 3 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Jalandhar West, the tehsil headquarters, and Jalandhar town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Chogawan, Kutlupur, Kotla and Shafipur.

What is the population of Gakhal?

The population of Gakhal was 2,201 at the 2011 census, living in 444 households in Jalandhar West tehsil of Jalandhar district.

What facilities does Gakhal have?

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