Malout

Malout Malout
city
Population  (2001)
• Total	70,958
Website	www.CityMalout.com

Malout ( ਮਲੋਟ )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 a well known city of Punjab established on NH-10 with a 4 lane Grand Trunk(GT) road, which is the pride of the city. 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.

History

Malout city is 4-5 centuries old. The origin of the name of Malout city is disputed, but the most famous suggestions are the following:

- People of Maan cast founded a fort here, Kacha Kot, leading to popular name Mankot Nagar. With the passage of time people stated calling the city Manout and later Malout.

- After a popular wrestler (Mall) who was very helpful to people, so the name of this city became Maal-di-out then Malout.

- The British set up a base there to import and export stuff which Indians call normally Mal to Karachi. At that time this city was very famous as Mal out centre, so people started calling this city as Malout.

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 the time, 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, leaading to the new Malout establishment coming into existence on 19 March 1920. Under the leadership of Seth Thakur Das, traders from the nearby villages and town established another small town opposite the old town. A seven member committee purchased land of 100 Beghas of Shekhu villages with the cost of 1lac 40 thousand 163 Rs and 38 paisa, which was then divided in a planned and modernized 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 British prince Vali – Ehmad - Edward 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 India. Just to give more organised form to the association it was renamed the Edward Ganj Public Welfare association in 1942.

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

• Malout Institute of Management and Information Technology (MIMIT)
• Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College of Engineering and Technology (GTB)
• Govt Sr Secondary School, Malout
• Govt Girls Sen.Sec.School, Malout
• D.A.V College
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh College
• kalgidhar college of Education
• D.A.V School
• GTB School
• Sacred heart convent school
• S.D.Public School
• GGS model school

Famous personalities

• Pandit Girdhari Lal,Mahavir Gaushala.
• Ch.Nathu Ram,Ex.M.L.A.Mlt.
• Baldev Singh Balamgarh,Ex.M.L.A.
• Harpreet Singh,M.L.A.
• Ram Singh Bhullar,President MC Mlt.
• Satgurudev Pappi,Ex.President MC
• Munish Verma(Bhanda),Seneter PU Chd.
• Dinesh Garg,Youth Leader
• Parveen Jain,Social-Worker
• Himmat Singh,ChiefPattren-Teachers Union
• Harish Grover,Social-Worker
• Amar Chand Kamra,Ex.President MC
• Varinder Bajaj,Union Leader & Social-Worker
• Chhabil Singh,Ex.Chairman EPWA Mlt*
• Ashwani Chalana, Entrepreneur, Founder Chalana Sons

Press Reporters

• Ajmer Sigh Brar,PTC News
• Satish Goyal,PunjabKesari/Jagbani
• Gurmit Makkar,Ajit Punjabi
• Gurdyal Singh Shant,Jagbani
• Khushwinder Bajaj,Sachkahoon
• Harinder Jassal,Dannik-Jagran
• Ranjit Patil,Ajit Punjabi
• Madan Lal Gupta,PunjabKesari
• Hardeep Khalsa,Spokesman
• Darshan jatana,JatanaPatrika
• Gurshranjit Singh,Punjabi Tribune
• OmParkash Sekhu,NawaZamana
• Sham Juneja,Jagbani

Demographics

At the 2001 India census, Malout had a population of 70,958. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Malout has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.