Silvassa

Silvassa (originally Vila de Paço d'Arcos) is a city and municipality in western India. It is the headquarters of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli district of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, India. The city has many factories and industries providing significant government revenue, which allows the city to maintain a low level of taxation. The city was chosen as one of the hundred Indian cities in Government of India's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

Silvassa

Vila de Paço d'Arcos[1]
City
Silvassa Townhall
Silvassa
Coordinates: 20.27°N 73.02°E / 20.27; 73.02
Country India
Union territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
District Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Founded byGovernor Carlos Eugénio Correia da Silva
Named forPaço de Arcos, Oeiras
(A town near Lisbon)[2]
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Council
 • BodySilvassa Municipal Council
 • MayorRakeshsinh Chauhan
Area
 • Total16 km2 (6 sq mi)
Elevation
32 m (105 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total98,265
 • Density6,100/km2 (16,000/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialEnglish, Hindi, Gujarati
 • Former OfficialPortuguese
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Telephone code0260
Vehicle registrationDD-01

History

Until the end of the 19th century, Silvassa was just one of many small villages in Portuguese India. Its importance started to grow in 1885, when the Portuguese Administration, under Governor Carlos Eugénio Correia da Silva, decided to transfer the seat of Pragana Nagar Avely from Darará to further inland. By decree of 11 February 1885, Silvassa was created as a town, with the name of Vila de Paço d'Arcos. However, the original name prevailed and the town continued to be mainly known as Silvassa and referred to as such in official documents. It continued to stay the district capital until the Indian Invasion of 1954.

Demographics

According to the 2011 India census,[3] Silvassa had a population of 98,265.

Language

Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi are the commonly spoken languages. Since the city lies in the northern part of Nagar Haveli, Gujarati language and its dialects are widely spoken as compared to the southern part of Nagar Haveli where Marathi, Konkani and its dialects hold prominence. Silvassa, being a cosmopolitan, is home to people from every part of India and hence every Indian language is spoken here such as Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Odia, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, Marwadi etc. A former Portuguese colony, Silvassa has a significant Roman Catholic population. There are still a few people who speak Portuguese as their first language.

Churches

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Piedade

The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Piety was built by the Portuguese in Vila de Paço d'Arcos in between 1886 and 1889, and is one of the oldest Christian buildings still standing, in the region. The church is a stone structure and its interiors resemble more of the European Gothic architecture, as compared to the Baroque architecture common in most other Portuguese churches. A minor earthquake had damaged the church in 1912, but it was renvated by 1924.

Industry
Vanganga Garden, Silvassa

Far from being a tribal region, Silvassa has now developed into an industrial hub with major industrial companies setting up manufacturing bases in the region. Its initial tax-free status granted by the Indian government to boost industrial investment in the former Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has contributed to the region's industrial growth. The industrial landscape of Silvassa and surrounding region has been altered dramatically. It is one of the largest states in collection of excise duty from more than 3,500 small and medium industries. Silvassa is a big hub for plastic products and its products are found throughout India thanks to their good quality and low cost. Apart from all this, Silvassa is also known for various FMCG distributors like Gajra Distribution having reach throughout the country.

Silvassa hosts more than 200,000 floating population, coming from all parts of the country, mostly the laborers hail from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa. Other floating community being from the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Transport and connections

Silvassa is connected to Maharashtra and Gujarat via National Highway 848A.[4] Silvassa has a well-maintained road network. The nearest railway stations are in Vapi 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) away and Bhilad, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) away. Daman is 30 km away via Bhilad on National Highway number 8. Mumbai is 160 km away from Silvassa, via Bhilad, on National Highway number 8 Surat is 130 km away from Silvassa, via Bhilad, on National Highway number 8. Auto-rickshaw services ply between Vapi and Silvassa at a regular interval and easily available from Vapi (E) railway station. Gujarat Road Transport Buses ply between Silvassa and Vapi at a regular interval.

See also

References
  1. https://www.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/silvassa-the-city-with-portugal-history-003775.html
  2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/Silvassa/Church-of-Our-Lady-of-Piety/ps51696678.cms
  3. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  4. "New National Highways notification - NH 848A" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 17 April 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
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