Balbhehraਬਲਭੇਹਰਾ

Where is Balbhehra?

Balbhehra is a village in Patiala tehsil of Patiala district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Sanaur, about 22 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Sanaur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 036654, and it covers 908 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 4,675 people in Balbhehra: 2,483 men and 2,192 women, living in 906 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 908 hectares, the population density works out to about 515 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 883 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 578, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,283 people, about 27 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 69.12 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 75.19 per cent and women at 62.44 per cent. The census recorded 1,559 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 1,434 main workers, the largest group, 729, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 375 cultivators on their own land and 303 agricultural labourers. A further 125 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balbhehra's land. Of the village's 908 hectares, 824 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (724 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (100 hectares). About 84 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 14 hours a day. With 388 cultivators and 360 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 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Balbhehra is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Sanaur, about 22 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Patiala, the tehsil headquarters, and Patiala, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Dulbha, Nanansu, Churason and Karhali.

What is the population of Balbhehra?

The population of Balbhehra was 4,675 at the 2011 census, living in 906 households in Patiala tehsil of Patiala district.

What facilities does Balbhehra have?

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