Hill Surang (Urdu: ہل سرنگ) is a town and Union Council,[1] within the Dhirkot Tehsil of the Bagh District in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. It is a mountainous rural settlement that borders Munasa, Chamankot, and Kohala.[2][3]
|
(ہل سرنگ) | |
|---|---|
Town and Union Council | |
  Hill Surang Location in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan  Hill Surang Hill Surang (Kashmir)  Hill Surang Hill Surang (Pakistan) | |
| Coordinates: 34°05′25″N 73°31′42″E / 34.0901564°N 73.5282540°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Territory | Azad Jammu and Kashmir |
| District | Bagh |
| Tehsil | Dhirkot |
| Post Office | Chamankot |
| Postal Code | 12630 |
| Population | 4,000–4,500 (Town) |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.23 km2 (2.79 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Geography and location
editHill Surang is situated in the rugged terrain of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.[4][5]
The local population includes various Kashmiri communities and major clans, including the Janjua Rajput, Awan, and Abbasi communities. Neighboring settlements include Munasa, Chamankot, and Kohala along the main Kohala–Bagh road corridor.[3]
Administration
editHill Surang is a designated Union Council (UC) in the Dhirkot Tehsil.[4] As the primary local government institution, the Union Council oversees rural development, infrastructure maintenance, and basic public services for the main town and adjacent localities.[6]
The administrative jurisdiction of the Union Council includes several smaller mountain villages and neighborhoods:
- Hill Village (the central hub hosting the local hospital)
- Union Council Hill Surang[7]
- Mohallah Hill Bandi
- Mohallah Bangal Bangala
Demographics
editThe population comprises different Kashmiri tribal communities. The core village area houses 4,000 to 4,500 residents, while the wider Union Council, including all surrounding settlements, has an estimated total population of around 20,000.[8]
Healthcare
editThe Chest Diseases & General Hospital (CDGH), known locally as the Government TB Hospital Hill, is a specialized public medical facility in Hill Village. It is one of the oldest institutions in the district dedicated to pulmonary care and tuberculosis (TB) treatment.[9]
The facility was built on land donated by Syed Ahmed Gardezi, a local figure. It was placed in the high-altitude environment of Hill Village to offer respiratory patients a quiet, clean climate suitable for long-term recovery.[9] The hospital is on Dhirkot Road, about 15 kilometers from both Kohala and Dhirkot.
Though founded as a TB sanatorium, its role was later expanded to provide general healthcare to the local community. The healthcare landscape of the area has also been studied for infectious disease dynamics, including localized screen mapping for health markers.[10][11]
Education
editThe village contains one madrasa and multiple formal schools:
Religion
editThe entire population of Hill Surang is Muslim. Religious institutions in the area include the Madrasa Tajveed-ul-Quran Hill and the central mosque, Jamia Masjid Farooq-e-Azam Hill, both located in the main Hill Bazar area. In addition, there are several small local mosques in the village where residents offer their daily prayers.[15]
Sports
editCricket is the primary sport played by local youths, with several open fields and local grounds in the village area heavily utilized for daily matches and seasonal tournaments
Transportation
editHill Surang is linked to the wider regional transit network via the Kohala–Bagh Road and Dhirkot Road.[16]
2005 earthquake
editHill Surang was badly affected by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Due to the emergency in District Bagh, international medical relief teams and foreign volunteers arrived in the village. They set up emergency medical camps at the local Chest Diseases General Hospital (Hill Hospital) to treat injured people from the surrounding areas.[9] Later, the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) conducted surveys in Hill Surang to rebuild houses and water infrastructure.[17]
References
edit- ↑ Union Council Hill Surang. "Union Council list of Ajk". www.scribd.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ↑ Union Council Hill Surang (2006-04-01). "Pakistan: Bagh Hub - Who is doing What Where (as of 1 Apr 2006) - Pakistan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- 1 2 Union Council Hill Surang (2006-03-13). "Pakistan: Bagh district - Health facilities (as of 13 Mar 2006) - Pakistan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- 1 2 Union Council Hill Surang. "District Profile Bagh" (PDF). ERRA. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ↑ DISTANCE TO EPICENTER AND RURAL POPULATION COUNT. "POSSIBLE ROAD ACCESS HILL SURANG. CHAMYATI. BANI HAFIZ" (PDF). Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ National Disaster Management Authority. "National Disaster Management Authority: NDMA" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ Union Council Hill Surang. "Humanitarian Information Centre District Map" (PDF). UN Emergency Response Centre - Pakistan. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ↑ District Census Report (Bagh) & Local Government Delimitation Registers. Local Government & Rural Development Department, Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 2017.
- 1 2 3 "(PDF) ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL PROFILE OF DISTRICT BAGH AZAD JAMMU & KASHMIR ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF SITING CHEST DISEASES & GENERAL HOSPITAL AT HILL IN DISTRICT BAGH Dr. Mirza Arshad Ali Beg arshadalibeg@gmail.com". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ↑ "Prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus in the general population of Hill Surang Area, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan". Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 2013. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ↑ Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus in the General Population of Hill Surang Area. "Hepatitis B and C Virus".
- ↑ Read Foundation High School Hill (2024-08-06). "School Locations - READ Foundation". Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ↑ Read Foundation High School Hill. "READ Foundation Schools". www.easymapmaker.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- 1 2 3 Government Girls Middle School Hill. "Bagh District Infrastructure Support Dataset". Unicef Pakistan. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ↑ Directory of Registered Religious Institutions and Local Mosques. Department of Auqaf & Religious Affairs, Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 2019.
- ↑ "Azad Jammu & Kashmir Road Network Map". Communication & Works Department (PWD), Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 2022. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
- ↑ "Functional Limitation and Participation Barriers Survey" (PDF). PPAF. Retrieved 2026-06-04.