Mumbai's Kamathipura All Set For A Facelift

Kamathipura, previously known as Lal Bazaar, gets its name from the kamathis or construction labourers who worked at the construction site of the causeway connecting the seven islands that make up the Mumbai city.

The area is now set to get a makeover in the face of swanky skyscrapers. For this, a masterplan has been made by the collective meeting of approximately 400 hundred landlords for 39 acres of land consisting 16 lanes. The area has more than 350 structures including buildings, chawls, schools, small scale industries, hotels and shops. But, all these structures are not well-maintained. The roads are filled with overflowing drain water, encroached upon by the hawkers and are in a bad condition.

What is to be noted is that Kamathipura area enjoys a strategic location; it is merely at a distance of seven kilometres from Nariman Point, seven kilometres from Dadar and 15 kilometres from Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The area is also close to fast developing areas like Mumbai Central.

But, the buildings in Kamathipura are in dilapidated state, beyond any scope of repair. There are almost 500 landowners in the area out of which 400 landowners have decided to give their lands for the redevelopment of the area. It is fast going to lose its old identity. India's oldest red light area is going to get a facelift. The dilapidated structures are all set to give way to attractive and elegant highrise buildings.

The redevelopment would provide comfortable housing for the tenants who have been living cramped in a 80-sq ft space. They would get comfortable apartments spread in an area of 525 sq ft, with lifetime maintenance free of cost. There have been redevelopments in bits and pieces in the area but the recent proposal would make this process faster and organised.

Despite its infamous reputation, Kamathipura is a prime real estate in South Mumbai. More than 20,000 families reside in the locality. The total land area of Kamathipura is around 53 acres. The redevelopment of the area would be done phase wise.  The first phase will include 39 acres of area in which around 700 buildings will be covered and the remaining 14 acres would be redeveloped in the second phase. The tenants and the small businesses and shops would be resettled in the 50 per cent of the redeveloped land and the rest 50 per cent would be for sale.

One of the key advantages of redeveloping Kamathipura is that it doesn't come under the civil aviation zone and secondly, it is far from the coastal. This means that there would be no restriction on construction of highrise buildings, which would be constructed in the place of the old dilapidated 700 buildings. The highrise buildings would also mean that there is space for expanding the width of the roads. 

The redevelopment plan once completed with its skyscrapers, would give a new dimension to the skyline of Mumbai. Being a strategic and central location surrounded by posh localities and good connectivity it would soon attract many real estate ventures.