Chahalਚਾਹਲ

Where is Chahal?

Chahal is a village of Balachaur tehsil in SBS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Balachaur, about 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Balachaur community development block and is served by the Chahal And Chohal Bet gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 032405, and it covers 155 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,207 people in Chahal: 630 men and 577 women, living in 229 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 155 hectares, the population density works out to about 779 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 916 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 155, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 628 people, about 52 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 79.94 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 86.89 per cent and women at 72.37 per cent. The census recorded 381 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 371 main workers, the largest group, 238, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 84 cultivators on their own land and 40 agricultural labourers. A further 10 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Chahal's land. Of the village's 155 hectares, 127 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (127 hectares). About 28 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 16 hours a day. With 87 cultivators and 41 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 mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was more than ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 16 hours a day.

Getting there

Chahal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Balachaur, about 13 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Balachaur, the tehsil headquarters, and Nawanshahr, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kishanpur, Jalalpur, Bharthala and Kamalpur.

What is the population of Chahal?

The population of Chahal was 1,207 at the 2011 census, living in 229 households in Balachaur tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Chahal have?

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