After years of delay, the long-pending redevelopment of Kamathipura is finally moving forward. On Thursday, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) floated tenders inviting developers to participate in the cluster redevelopment of the nearly 28-acre site in South Mumbai.
According to the tender notice, developers can submit their bids until July 28. The project will be implemented under Development Control Regulation (DCR) 33(9), which governs the redevelopment of cessed buildings. Congress MLA Ameen Patel, who has been pursuing the issue for nearly 18 years, said he first raised it in 2007 when he was a corporator from the Kamathipura area.
“The project has been discussed for a long time, but nothing has moved on the ground. Now that tenders have been floated, the process must be expedited to avoid further delays,” Patel said, adding that the redevelopment would transform the skyline.
Under the current plan, MHADA proposes a housing model that offers 500 sq ft flats free of cost to tenants. Owners of 50-square-metre plots will also receive a 500 sq ft flat, while those with plots between 51–100 sq m will be eligible for two flats. Larger plots will be allotted more units accordingly.
The plan aims to provide modern housing to around 8000 tenants, many of whom currently live in over 100-year-old structures. The redevelopment will cover 943 cessed buildings, 349 non-cessed buildings, 14 religious structures, two schools, and four reserved plots.
Sources in Mantralaya said that Kamathipura`s redevelopment was first discussed in the 1980s, with MHADA taking the lead back then, too. In 2005, private developers also attempted to redevelop the area, often referred to as a red-light district, but those efforts also failed.
In 2007, Patel reiterated the demand for a makeover. Several rounds of meetings with authorities and stakeholders followed. Finally, in 2020, during the MVA regime, then housing minister Jitendra Awhad visited the area. A Development Project Report (DPR) was prepared, and MHADA was appointed as the nodal agency.
Patel added that the financial model would be attractive for builders since both tenants and landlords would be accommodated with flats, meaning developers wouldn’t need to buy land or compensate landlords.
