MUMBAI: The deal to redevelop Kamathipura, Mumbai’s red-light district and an iconic heritage precinct, will be signed on September 17. The agreement will be signed between the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) and a consortium comprising Bhagirathi Housing Pvt Ltd and Maathi Developers Pvt Ltd, said Sanjeev Jaiswal, Mhada vice-president and chief executive officer, on Friday.
“Today, a concept plan has been presented to the public to let them know what the future holds,” said Jaiswal. “A draft master plan will take at least a month after the agreement’s signing.” Kamathipura will be redeveloped through the cluster approach. The letter of intent was issued to the developers on April 8.
Kamathipura, located at the heart of South Mumbai, is divided into a grid of 15 lanes and encompasses 943 cessed buildings, 349 non-cessed buildings, 14 religious places and two civic schools. The redevelopment plan envisages the rehabilitation of nearly 8,000 families.
The consortium is to hand over to Mhada, free of cost, ready-to-move-in apartments representing 8.25% of the floor space index (FSI) or buildable area. “Mhada will get about 80,000 sq ft as its share of housing stock,” Jaiswal said. “This translates into 200 housing units.”
Rajendra Satla, general secretary, Kamathipura Vikas Samiti, said, “We have been trying to get the area redeveloped since 2013. Earlier, we wanted this to be done by private developers and approached over ten big players. But they all said the project wasn’t feasible. Eventually, we approached Mhada.”
Over 8,000 residents and tenants in Kamathipura, including 6,625 residents and 1,376 commercial tenants, as well as about 800 landlords, 14 religious places and two civic-run schools will be impacted by the redevelopment. Plans are also afoot to rename Kamathipura to shed its ‘red-light district’ tag.
Kamathipura emerged in 1795 on the northern periphery of the Fort area, on marshy land. It was inhabited by Telugu-speaking migrants, who worked as construction labourers and were known as ‘Kamathi’. ‘Pura’ referred to the inhabited area.
In the early 20th century, as textile mills and port-related activities flourished in the island city of Mumbai, descendants of Kamathis joined the city’s factory workforce. Gradually, commercial sex workers entered Kamathipura, and the area became known as the city’s red light district.
