Kotalaਕੋਟਲਾ

Where is Kotala?

Kotala is a village of Samrala tehsil in Ludhiana district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Samrala, about 11 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Machhiwara community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 033099, and it covers 665 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,567 people in Kotala: 848 men and 719 women, living in 296 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 665 hectares, the population density works out to about 236 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 848 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 163, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 761 people, about 49 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 80.91 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 85.53 per cent and women at 75.47 per cent. The census recorded 808 workers, about 52 per cent of the village. Of the 794 main workers, the largest group, 419, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 223 agricultural labourers and 138 cultivators on their own land. A further 14 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Kotala's land. Of the village's 665 hectares, 625 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (411 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (214 hectares). About 40 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 140 cultivators and 225 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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, 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, a primary health sub-centre, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Kotala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Samrala, about 11 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Samrala, the tehsil headquarters, and Ludhiana city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kakrala Khurd, Todarpur, Sehala and Kakrala Kalan.

What is the population of Kotala?

The population of Kotala was 1,567 at the 2011 census, living in 296 households in Samrala tehsil of Ludhiana district.

What facilities does Kotala have?

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