Dakalaਡਕਾਲਾ

Where is Dakala?

Dakala is a village of Patiala tehsil in Patiala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Sanaur, about 12 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 036632, and it covers 1,048 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 4,594 people in Dakala: 2,410 men and 2,184 women, living in 841 households, an average of about 5.5 people per household. Spread over its 1,048 hectares, the population density works out to about 438 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 906 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 556, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,413 people, about 31 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 68.33 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 74 per cent and women at 62.15 per cent. The census recorded 1,652 workers, about 36 per cent of the village. Of the 1,191 main workers, the largest group, 571, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 457 cultivators on their own land and 128 agricultural labourers. A further 461 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Dakala's land. Of the village's 1,048 hectares, 944 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 932 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (19 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (913 hectares). About 102 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 492 cultivators and 149 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, 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. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. The village had a sub post office. It also had 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

Dakala 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 12 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 Mardan Heri, Dudhar, Paharipur and Tarain.

What is the population of Dakala?

The population of Dakala was 4,594 at the 2011 census, living in 841 households in Patiala tehsil of Patiala district.

What facilities does Dakala have?

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