Soondhਸੂਂਧ

Where is Soondh?

Soondh is a village of Banga tehsil in SBS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Banga, about 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Banga community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 032142, and it covers 288 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,140 people in Soondh: 583 men and 557 women, living in 245 households, an average of about 4.7 people per household. Spread over its 288 hectares, the population density works out to about 396 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 955 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 121, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 700 people, about 61 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 77.33 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 80.78 per cent and women at 73.81 per cent. The census recorded 372 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 275 main workers, the largest group, 178, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 60 cultivators on their own land and 20 household industry workers. A further 97 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Soondh's land. Of the village's 288 hectares, 254 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (254 hectares). About 34 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. With 67 cultivators and 40 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, 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. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Soondh 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 13 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 Anokharwal, Maksudpur, Behram and Kangraur.

What is the population of Soondh?

The population of Soondh was 1,140 at the 2011 census, living in 245 households in Banga tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Soondh have?

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