Falta, South 24 Parganas

Falta is a village and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Falta police station in the Falta CD block in the Diamond Harbour subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Falta
Village
Falta Location in West Bengal Falta Location in India
Coordinates: 22.3020°N 88.1284°E
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	South 24 Parganas
CD block	Falta
Area
• Total	0.36 km^2 (0.14 sq mi)
Elevation	8 m (26 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	969
• Density	2,700/km^2 (7,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Bengali[1][2]
• Additional official	English[1]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	743504
Telephone code	+91 3174
Vehicle registration	WB-19 to WB-22, WB-95 to WB-99
Lok Sabha constituency	Diamond Harbour
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Falta
Website	www.s24pgs.gov.in

History

Falta was an old human settlement of pre-British India. When Siraj-ud-Daulah sacked Kolkata in 1756, the English residents moved to Falta temporarily.[3]

Geography

🌍

Cities and towns in the western part of Diamond Harbour subdivision (including Falta, Diamond Harbour I & II, Kulpi CD blocks) in South 24 Parganas district M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, N: neighbourhood, H: historical place/ religious centre Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Area overview

Diamond Harbour subdivision is a rural subdivision with patches of urbanization. Only 14.61% of the population lives in the urban areas and an overwhelming 85.39% lives in the rural areas. In the western portion of the subdivision (shown in the map alongside) there are 11 census towns. The entire district is situated in the Ganges Delta and the western part, located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, is covered by the Kulpi Diamond Harbour Plain, which is 5-6 metres above sea level. Archaeological excavations at Deulpota and Harinarayanpur, on the bank of the Hooghly River indicate the existence of human habitation more than 2,000 years ago.[4][5][6]

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Location

Falta is located at 22°18′07″N 88°07′42″E. It has an average elevation of 8 metres (26 ft).

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Falta had a total population of 969, of which 490 (51%) were males and 479 (49%) were females. There were 113 persons in the age range of 0-6 years. The total number of literate persons in Falta was 719 (84.00% of the population over 6 years).[7]

Civic administration

Police station

Falta police station was established in 1906. It covers an area of 135.58 sq km spread over the Falta CD block.[8][9]

Economy

An Export Processing Zone (EPZ) was established by the government of India at Falta in 1984. It later became a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and subsequently became a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) under the West Bengal SEZ Act, 2003. It was the first SEZ act passed by any state government in India. Therefore, the Falta SEZ was the first SEZ in India. After the government of India passed the SEZ Act in 2005, the Falta SEZ came under the purview of this act.[10] A Special Economic Zone is a specially delineated duty-free enclave and is deemed to be foreign territory for the purpose of trade operations and duties and tariffs. The units in the Zone have to export their entire production and are granted certain entitlements.[11]

Falta SEZ was set up over 280 acres of land It has 271 companies, of which 107 are closed. About 60% of the workforce in the SEZ are women.[10] In 2003-04, export from Falta stood at about Rs 1,500 crore,[12]

Transport

A short stretch of local roads link Falta to the National Highway 12.[13]

Healthcare

Falta Block Primary Health Centre at Falta, with 10 beds, is the major government medical facility in the Falta CD block.[14]

Gallery

• 
  Falta River Side. Tourist Place Opposite Ritz Ravera
• 
  Falta River Side. Tourist Place Opposite Ritz Ravera
• 
  Falta - Nainan Road

References

1. "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
2. "52nd REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN INDIA" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
3. Calcutta the Living City, Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, p.9, Oxford University Press
4. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 South Twety-four Parganas". Table 2.1 , 2.2, 2.4b. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
5. "Census of India 2011, West Bengal, District Census Handbook, South Twentyfour Parganas, Series – 20, Part XII-A, Village and Town Directory" (PDF). Page 13, Physiography. Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
6. "District Human Development Report: South 24 Parganas". Chapter 9: Sundarbans and the Remote Islanders, p 290-311. Development & Planning Department, Government of West Bengal, 2009. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
7. "C.D. Block Wise Primary Census Abstract Data(PCA)". West Bengal – District-wise CD Blocks. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
8. "Falta police station". Diamond Harbour police district. West Bengal police. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
9. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 South 24 Parganas". Table No. 2.1. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
10. "Falta SEZ in West Bengal - A fact-finding report on workers and environmental impact". Sanhati. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
11. "Falta Special Economic Zone". Retrieved 23 March 2010.
12. "Falta SEZ units seek simpler norms". Business Standard, 30 August 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
13. Google maps
14. "Health & Family Welfare Department" (PDF). Health Statistics – Block Primary Health Centres. Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 25 November 2019.