Bir Kalanਬੀੜ ਕਲਾਂ

Where is Bir Kalan?

Bir Kalan is a village of Sunam tehsil in Sangrur district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Sunam, about 17 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Sunam community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 039862, and it covers 930 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,794 people in Bir Kalan: 1,485 men and 1,309 women, living in 578 households, an average of about 4.8 people per household. Spread over its 930 hectares, the population density works out to about 300 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 881 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 305, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 714 people, about 26 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 59.58 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 63.96 per cent and women at 54.57 per cent. The census recorded 871 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 811 main workers, the largest group, 377, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 279 agricultural labourers and 120 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 60 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bir Kalan's land. Of the village's 930 hectares, 848 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (662 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (186 hectares). About 82 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 392 cultivators and 296 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. 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 five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bir Kalan is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Sunam, about 17 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Sunam, the tehsil headquarters, and Sangrur, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Tolawal, Satoj, Dhaliwalbas and Dharamgarh.

What is the population of Bir Kalan?

The population of Bir Kalan was 2,794 at the 2011 census, living in 578 households in Sunam tehsil of Sangrur district.

What facilities does Bir Kalan have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Bir Kalan has government schools from primary to middle school level and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.