Chahalਚਾਹਲ

Where is Chahal?

Chahal is a village of Nabha tehsil in Patiala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Bhadson, about 4 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Nabha community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 036445, and it covers 224 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,926 people in Chahal: 1,028 men and 898 women, living in 394 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 224 hectares, the population density works out to about 860 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 874 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 188, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 896 people, about 47 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 68.93 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 73.48 per cent and women at 63.81 per cent. The census recorded 607 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 493 main workers, the largest group, 282, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 134 cultivators on their own land and 45 agricultural labourers. A further 114 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Chahal's land. Of the village's 224 hectares, 197 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (8 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (189 hectares). About 25 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 10 hours a day. With 137 cultivators and 118 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. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. The village had its own 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

Chahal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Bhadson, about 4 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Nabha, the tehsil headquarters, and Patiala, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Ramgarh, Bhari Panechan, Nanowal and Khizerpur.

What is the population of Chahal?

The population of Chahal was 1,926 at the 2011 census, living in 394 households in Nabha tehsil of Patiala district.

What facilities does Chahal have?

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