Malout

Malout
city

National Highway 10 in Malout
Malout

Location in Punjab, India

Coordinates: 30°11′24″N 74°29′56″E / 30.190°N 74.499°ECoordinates: 30°11′24″N 74°29′56″E / 30.190°N 74.499°E
Country  India
State Punjab
District Muktsar
Population (2001)
 • Total 70,958
Languages
 • Official Punjabi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 152107
Telephone code 1637
Website www.maloutlive.com (Unofficial)

Malout is a city and a municipal council in Muktsar district in the Indian state of Punjab. Located in southern Punjab, it is a prominent town in the cotton belt where production per unit area is one of the highest in India.

Malout is located along the NH-10 with a 4 lane Grand Trunk (GT) road. This highway connects New Delhi to Fazilka through the city. This town is at the border of three Indian states (Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan) and two countries (India and Pakistan). The boundaries of Haryana and Rajasthan are just 30 and 65 km away from Malout. On the other hand, it is only 45 km from Pakistan, so the area was highly active in emergency time due to military actions. Pincode of Malout is 152107. [1]

History

Malout city is four to five centuries old. The origin of the name of Malout city is disputed, but the most famous suggestions are the following:


In 1917, the British government established the Bathinda – Karachi railway line, to transport the goods from this part of India to Karachi. Malout Railway Station was established on the line in 1918. Choudhry Harji Ram of Malout village, one of the richest persons of his time, also more popularly known as the 'king of cotton' of Punjab, established a new town near the railway station at west side, which was called Mandi Harji Raam. (Mandi means small town in Punjab)

With the growth of the area due to trading established by the railways network, other rich people wanted to establish their business base in Malout near the railway station. But Choudhry Harji Ram refused to provide them land in his area, leading to the new Malout establishment coming into existence on 19 March 1920. Under the leadership of Seth Thakar Dass Ahuja, traders from the nearby villages and town established another small town opposite the old town. Thakar Dass Ahuja had five sons, namely Madan Mohan Ahuja, Manohar Lal Ahuja, Balraj Ahuja, Avtar Krishan Ahuja and Ramesh Chander Ahuja. He had several grand-children including Chand Karan Ahuja & Chand Suneel Ahuja (both sons of Madan Mohan Ahuja), Sandeep Kumar Ahuja (son of Manohar Lal Ahuja), Sanjay Ahuja & Ajay Ahuja (sons of Balraj Ahuja), Gautam Krishan Ahuja & Shalin Ahuja (son of Avtar Ahuja), Amit Ahuja & Sahil Ahuja (sons of Ramesh Chander Ahuja). His grandson Sanjay Ahuja is said to be a prominent American who lives in New York City. Thakar Dass Ahuja's descendants remain one of the most prominent families of Malout. A seven member committee purchased land of 100 Beghas of Shekhu villages with the cost of 100,000 40 thousand 163 Rs and 38 paisa, which was then divided in a planned and modernised way into shopping and residential areas.

On 17 November 1921, the District Commissioner of Ferozpur District, J. C. Koldsitrimiu, established large water storage and purification tank system in the town. This was the same day when the future King-Emperor Edward VIII came to this part of the India for survey. The new establishment was named in his honour as Edward Ganj Malout Mandi.

With the passage of time, the small town started growing and by the end of 1940 a post office, telephone exchange, guest house, rest house and graveyard Shamshan Bhumi were establsihedd. Because of high cotton cultivation many cotton factories and agricultural machinery industries came into existence in the city and the nearby village area and hence this area was recognised as the cotton capital of Punjab. Just to give more organised form to the association it was renamed the Edward Ganj Public Welfare association in 1942.[2]

Commerce and industry

Malout is famous for its agriculture equipment manufacturing industry. Agriculture-related equipment made in Malout is sold in various parts of Punjab and nation.

Another major industry in the region is related to high cotton cultivation in the region. Since past few years, cotton-related business has been booming in the region. It is also prominent for apparel. The clothing business dates back centuries in the town. Some of the very vintage establishments like New Fancy Cloth House and daulat ram surinder pal singh (arthia)

It is worth mentioning here that the market for secondhand cars and two-wheelers have grown up to become one of the biggest in the region. The business is generating good revenue for the local automobile workshops and dealers.

Raja Mal was the Janjua Rajputs Chief/King after whose name cities/villages were established. One of them is Malot near Rawalpindi (Pakistan) and Malot in Hoshiarpur district. There is a small fortress in the western side of village malout. It was destroyed still the reasons are unknown, maybe due to some natural calamity or warfare. People from Gill village in Bathinda and Mann from Sangrur district Kangs from Bajak near Gidderbaha re-established during the settlement process by British. People of Godara, Chhabra, Noi (Muslims) and some other clans settled here during British rule. British seized pargna of Malout (129 villages) from Sikh chiefs in 1835. Karachi-Samma Satha-Bathinda Railway line was laid down by Rajputana-Malwa Railway Company around 1870 to 1895. Railway station at Malout was established in the year 1905 which played a vital role in development of this village as Mandi/City. Malout have had two Municipal Committees, One as Edward Ganj Mandi Malout (a private institution) which administered and managed Malout till 1966 when it surrendered the its area to Municipal Committee Malout. Eastern part of Malout (Pakki Mandi) was administered by Edward Ganj and Western part (Kachi Mandi) by Municipal Committee, Malout. In a healthy competition, Malout earned a lot, Most of roads/bazars were around 150 feet wide. Most these wide bazars and roads, were sold and keeping it 30 or 25 feet wide around 1997–98 by the Municipal Committee or land mafia.

List of major villages

The following villages fall under tehsil (zone) Malout:[3]

  • Chack Ratta Khera
  • Chack Tamkot
  • Chappianwali
  • Inna Khera
  • Jand Wala Charat Singh
  • Jandwala
  • Jhorar
  • Kabber Wala
  • Karam Garh
  • Karam Patti
  • Karni Wala
  • Katore Wala
  • Kattian Wali
  • Khanne Ki Dhab
  • Khunan Kalan
  • Dhoula
  • Kingra
  • Kollian Wali
  • Lakhmi
  • Lakhmireanna
  • Lakkar Wala
  • Mal Wala
  • Mehraj Wala
  • Midda
  • Mohlan
  • Pakki Tibbi
  • Panni Wala Fatta
  • Phulle Wala
  • Ram Nagar
  • Rani Wala
  • Ratta Khera
  • Ratta Tibba
  • Sarawan Bodla
  • Sham Khera
  • Shergarh
  • Tamkot
  • Tarkhan Wala
  • Urrang
  • Village Malout
  • Virk Khera
  • Abhinav Pur

Climate

There is wide seasonal temperature variation in Malout area. In summers the temperature reaches as high up as 48–50 °C and in winters as low as 1–2 °C. The Western Himalayas in the north and the Thar Desert in the south and southwest mainly determine the climate conditions. The south-western monsoon brings the much needed rain bearing depression during summer (July to September). Nearly 70% of rainfall is during these months. The major part of the district qualifies for aridic (tropic) moisture regime according to the criteria laid down in soil taxonomy. Soil moisture regime computations employing the Newhall mathematical model indicate that the area has a 'weak aridic' moisture regime (Van Wambeke, 1985). In the aridic (torric) moisture regime, the moisture control section in most of the year is dry in all parts for more than half the time (cumulative).

Education

The city has a government engineering college named Malout Institute of Management and Information Technology, a private engineering college named Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa Institute of Engineering & Technology, Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) and Government Senior Secondary School (Girls). There are many English medium private schools in the city. Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa Senior Secondary School is one of the oldest private school,while Sacred Heart Convent School is the premier school following ICSE curriculum. The city also has DAV College which offers various Graduation and Post Graduation Courses.

N G O Malout

Religious places

Religious places in Malout:

  1. Nav Durga Mandir Mata Anguri Devi
  2. Gurudwara Sahib Singh Sabha
  3. Peer Khana
  4. Gurudwara Bhai Jagta Ji
  5. Hanuman Mandir
  6. Shri Krishna Mandir
  7. Sant Nirankari Bhawan
  8. Shri Baba Ram Dev Mandir
  9. ShriGuru Ravidas Mandir

Hospitals

Politics and administration

References

  1. ↑ http://www.citypincode.in/PUNJAB/MUKTSAR/MALOUT_PINCODE
  2. ↑ Maloutonline
  3. ↑