Silvassa

Silvassa  Pronunciations (help·info); is the capital of the Indian Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. During Portuguese rule, Silvassa was also known as Vila de Paço d'Arcos, after the town of the same name near Lisbon (Paço de Arcos, Oeiras). The city has a large number of 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 Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

Silvassa
Capital
Silvassa
Coordinates: 20°16′N 73°01′E / 20.27°N 73.02°E / 20.27; 73.02Coordinates: 20°16′N 73°01′E / 20.27°N 73.02°E / 20.27; 73.02
Country	India
State	Dadra and Nagar Haveli
District	Dadra and Nagar Haveli district
Government
• Mayor	Rakeshsinh Chauhan
Elevation	32 m (105 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	98,265
Languages
• Official	English, Gujarati, hindi,
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Telephone code	0260
Vehicle registration	DN -09

History

Until the end of the 19th century, Silvassa was only a small village. The growing importance of Silvassa started in 1885, when the Portuguese Administration decided to transfer the seat of Nagar Haveli to the city, which until then had been in Darará. 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.

Demographics

According to the 2011 India census,^[1] Silvassa had a population of 98,265.

==Language== [dhodia is the main language-]Warli is the language spoken by the Warli people. It is a dialect of Konkani, just as Agri which is also spoken.A former Portuguese enclave, Silvassa has a significant Roman Catholic population that speaks a distinct dialect of Portuguese. Gujarati and Marathi languages are widely spoken.^[2]

Industry

Far from being a tribal region, it 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 Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has contributed to the region's industrial growth.

With groups like Apar Industries Limited, Ramco Industries Ltd..(R.I.L), Sterlite, Hindalco now closed, Hind Aluminium, T&D Galiakot Containers Pvt. Ltd., Associated Group, Tufropes Group Indians largest plastic and polymer ropes manufacturer Tufropes Pvt. Limited, Insulation material manufacturer Rockwool India Private Limited (a subsidiary of Alghanim Industries, Kuwait), Concast, Polysil Pipes, Polysil Irrigation Systems, Silvassa Plastics, Daman Plastics, Kkapana Industries, Jai Corp Ltd., Advance Detchem Ltd, Gulf Oil, Tidewater Petroleum, Castrol, Reliance Industries, Blue Star, Siyaram Silk Mills, Global Wind Power (Reliance ADAG), Hindustan Unilever, Kusuma Pharma, Sterling Generators Pvt Ltd , Dabur and host of other players in the textile industry like Alok Industries, Donear Industries, VRIL, Shri Khatu shyam Alloys Pvt. Ltd. and many other FMCG, Gensets, electronics, heavy engineering goods, Chemical, insecticides, Paints, to name a few, the landscape of Silvassa and surrounding region has 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(Oldest grocers in the town) having reach throughout the country.

Silvassa hosts more than 200,000 floating population, coming from all parts of the country, mostly the labourers hail from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & Odisa. Other floating community being from the state 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.^[3] 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 & Vapi at a regular interval.

Health care

Hospitals in Silvassa include:

• V.B.C.H (Vinoba Bhave Civil Hospital, Multi-Speciality Hospital), Silvassa
• Shraddha Clinic (Tokarkhada), Silvassa
• Vardhaman Hospital, Silvassa
• Prayosha Hospital, Silvassa
• Sainath Hospital, Silvassa
• Saraswati Hospital, Rakholi, Silvassa
• Yogi Hospital, Silvassa
• Sai Krishna Hospital, Silvassa
• Chaitanya Hospital, Silvassa
• Jalaram Hospital, Silvassa
• Sai Marigold Children Hospital, Silvassa
• Om Hospital, Silvassa
• Gaurang Leg Replacement Hospital, Silvassa
• Eye Hospital, Silvassa
• Shiv dental clinic
• Pulse Hospital(Near Kilwani Naka-Horizon Tower)

Places of interest

• Imam hussain shrine
• Nakshatra Van: Garden on bank of Daman Ganga River.
• Damanganga Riverfront.
• Roman Catholic Church: located near to bus stand built on Portuguese style.
• Silvassa Museum: a small museum which explains the history and the people of Silvassa
• Shree Jagannath Temple, by Shree Jagannath Cultural Trust and all odiya people situated in baldevi since 2009.
• Madhuban Dam: A dam with boating facility, built across River Daman Ganga.
• Vanganga Garden(Dadra Park): A scenic beauty with boating facility, 5 km from Silvassa.
• Dudhani: A vast lake with a water sports complex. Located 35 km from Silvassa.
• Vrindaban: A temple dedicated to lord Krishna and Shiva, en route Dudhani.
• Balaji temple located in Amli dedicated to Lord Balaji, Shiva, Maha Ganapathy, Karthikeyan, Padmavathi, Saraswathi, Hanumanji, and Navagraha.
• Van Ganga Lake: An exotic destination for nature lovers who relish boating in lakes. The place is particularly famous as the site for several movie shoots.
• Piparia garden, a beautiful garden located right in Silvassa.
• Om Temple: The temple is in "Om shape" and located on the bank of the River Damanganga in Kudacha village.(1.5 km from Silvassa). It stands on 412 pillars and has been constructed without any usage of iron bars.

See also

• Portuguese India
• Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Silvassa.