Sontaਸੋਂਟਾ

Where is Sonta?

Sonta is a village of Rajpura tehsil in Patiala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Ambala, about 11 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Ghanaur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 036844, and it covers 318 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 859 people in Sonta: 447 men and 412 women, living in 162 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 318 hectares, the population density works out to about 270 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 922 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 116, about 14 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 235 people, about 27 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 72.27 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 80.94 per cent and women at 63.06 per cent. The census recorded 384 workers, about 45 per cent of the village. Of the 384 main workers, the largest group, 206, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 122 other workers in trade, transport and services and 56 cultivators on their own land.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sonta's land. Of the village's 318 hectares, 282 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 277 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (277 hectares). About 36 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 56 cultivators and 206 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. 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. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Sonta is reached by village roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Ambala, about 11 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Rajpura, the tehsil headquarters, and Patiala, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Taharpur, Rampur, Jharwan and Mahrian.

What is the population of Sonta?

The population of Sonta was 859 at the 2011 census, living in 162 households in Rajpura tehsil of Patiala district.

What facilities does Sonta have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Sonta has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.