Mahal Gehlaਮਹਲ ਗੇਹਲਾ

Where is Mahal Gehla?

Mahal Gehla is a village in Banga tehsil of SBS Nagar district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Banga, about 5 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Banga community development block and is served by the Mahal Gehlan gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 032106, and it covers 560 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,403 people in Mahal Gehla: 1,693 men and 1,710 women, living in 754 households, an average of about 4.5 people per household. Spread over its 560 hectares, the population density works out to about 608 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1010 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 335, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,405 people, about 41 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 77.71 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 83.69 per cent and women at 71.82 per cent. The census recorded 1,093 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 948 main workers, the largest group, 652, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 202 cultivators on their own land and 74 agricultural labourers. A further 145 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Mahal Gehla's land. Of the village's 560 hectares, 487 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (2 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (485 hectares). About 72 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 215 cultivators and 85 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities. 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub post office. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch and a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 16 hours a day.

Getting there

Mahal Gehla is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Banga, about 5 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Banga, the tehsil headquarters, and Nawanshahr, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Thandian, Khamachon, Khatkar Khurd and Hapowal.

What is the population of Mahal Gehla?

The population of Mahal Gehla was 3,403 at the 2011 census, living in 754 households in Banga tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Mahal Gehla have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Mahal Gehla has government schools from primary to senior secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a sub post office.