Karalaਕਰਲਾ

Where is Karala?

Karala is a village of SAS Nagar tehsil in SAS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Puadh region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Zirakpur, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Rajpura community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 039236, and it covers 369 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,933 people in Karala: 1,007 men and 926 women, living in 347 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 369 hectares, the population density works out to about 524 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 920 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 281, about 15 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 673 people, about 35 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 71.55 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 77.59 per cent and women at 65.17 per cent. The census recorded 653 workers, about 34 per cent of the village. Of the 490 main workers, the largest group, 161, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 145 cultivators on their own land and 133 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 163 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Karala's land. Of the village's 369 hectares, 297 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 293 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (293 hectares). Farm power supply was recorded at 9 hours a day. The census recorded 145 cultivators and 170 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, 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.

No human health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011; a veterinary hospital served its livestock. 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 9 hours a day.

Getting there

Karala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Zirakpur, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the village has its own railway station. SAS Nagar, the tehsil headquarters, and Mohali, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Khizargarh, Khaspur, Rampur Kalan and Mathiaran.

What is the population of Karala?

The population of Karala was 1,933 at the 2011 census, living in 347 households in SAS Nagar tehsil of SAS Nagar district.

What facilities does Karala have?

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