Handwara

Handwara Handwor हंदवारा ہندوارہ
Town
Country	India
State	Jammu and Kashmir
District	Kupwara
Government
• Type	Democratic
Elevation	1,582 m (5,190 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	269,311
Languages
• Official	Kashmiri
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	193221
Vehicle registration	JK09
Website	kupwara.nic.in

Handwara (Kashmiri language: हंदवारा (Devanagari), ہندوارہ (Nastaleeq)) is a town under the Municipal Committee in the Kupwara District of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Geography

Handwara is located at 34.40°N 74.28°E / 34.40; 74.28. It has an average elevation of 1,582 metres (5,190 feet) above sea level.

Location

Handwara is a Municipal Committee city in the district of Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. The Handwara city is divided into 13 wards, for which elections are held every 5 years. The Handwara Municipal Committee has a total population of 13,600 consisting of 7,379 males and 6,221 females as per a report released by Census India 2011. It has its own Tehsil office, ADC office, District Hospital and police station. An Additional Sessions court has also become functional.

Constituency

Handwara is an electoral constituency of Distt Kupwara located in the extreme north of Jammu and Kashmir. It comprises the main town consisting of 13 Municipal Wards and various other blocks. The main Blocks are the Rajwar and Ramhal block. The thirteen Wards of Handwara Municipal Committee include Durashpora, Herpora, Banday Mohalla, Zargar Mohalla, Khanbal A, Khanbal B, Bagatpora, Kachiwara, Gonipora, Braripora A, Brariporra B and Bagatpora.

In Handwara, some of the well-known political parties are Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party besides some other parties. Some other small and newly formed political parties like J & K, Awami Ittihaad party etc. are also making in roads into Handwara and other adjacent constituencies.

Handwara is a politically volatile area of District Kupwara. It has been the home constituency of Late Abdul Gani Lone and Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan besides some other prominent personalities. The current MLA of Handwara is Sajjad Lone of Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference who won against Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference by a margin of more than 5000 votes in the 2014 assembly elections.

Infrastructure

Handwara is connected to the rest of the state with macadamized roads. A bypass has been constructed overseeing Handwara town to relieve the main roads of growing traffic. It is connected to Baramulla district via Baramulla-Handwara Highway passing through Watergam town.

Education

Handwara has remained educationally backward till the near past but more recently it has emerged as a state leader in education. In the year 2013, it got to top positions in the Matriculation examination which largely speaks the standard of education.

There are more than 15 private schools of a very good repute besides plenty of Govt run schools in Handwara. A Boys and a Girls Hr Secondary School (one each) is located in town itself besides a Govt Degree College located at Handwara Kulangam Road. Thousands of students study in these schools and are going for higher education within and outside the state in large numbers as well. Some students even went abroad for studies like London, US, and Dubai etc., which speaks volumes about the rising educational standard of this place.

Handwara is a town with great dignitaries and educationalists. As per Census 2011, literacy rate of Handwara city is 77.26%, higher than national average of 67.16%. In Handwara, male literacy is around 87.40%, while female literacy rate is 64.91%.

Sports

Like other parts of the sub-continent, cricket is the most followed sport in the town, and at present there are three clubs operating, viz Jamia Sports Club, Handwara Sports Cricket Club & Star Eleven Cricket Club. Besides cricket, football is also a popular sport in the town. Handwara Mavericks Football Club is one of the leading clubs at present.