Gocharਗੋਚਰ

Where is Gochar?

Gochar is a village of Kharar tehsil in SAS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Puadh region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Kurali, about 15 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Majri community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 038958, and it covers 420 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 623 people in Gochar: 323 men and 300 women, living in 91 households, an average of about 6.8 people per household. Spread over its 420 hectares, the population density works out to about 148 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 929 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 112, about 18 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 0 people, about 0 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 68.88 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 77.39 per cent and women at 60 per cent. The census recorded 266 workers, about 43 per cent of the village. Of the 175 main workers, the largest group, 104, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 52 other workers in trade, transport and services and 13 agricultural labourers. A further 91 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Gochar's land. Of the village's 420 hectares, 118 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (15 hectares). About 7 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 167 cultivators and 37 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, 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 a PDS ration shop and 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

Gochar is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Kurali, about 15 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Kharar, the tehsil headquarters, and Mohali, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Tarapur, Mirzapur, Burana and Dulwan.

What is the population of Gochar?

The population of Gochar was 623 at the 2011 census, living in 91 households in Kharar tehsil of SAS Nagar district.

What facilities does Gochar have?

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