Mumbai's NTC Mill Land Redevelopment Project Offers A Solution For City's Land Scarcity

The Union government has set in motion the process of redevelopment of mill land belonging to National Textile Corporation (NTC), covering nearly 14 acres.

On 15 January, Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry, announced that the government would expedite the redevelopment of chawls located on these mill lands in a time bound manner.

The NTC owns 18 mill lands in Mumbai. Nine of these lands have 11 chawls with 1,892 residential and 170 commercial units.

This decision comes in support of the thousands of citizens residing in chawls in these mill premises. These structures remain dilapidated, lacking basic provisions and call for urgent attention for redevelopment.

Earlier, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had declared these chawls as dangerous to live in. Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party president Ashish Shelar continuously pursued the urgent redevelopment of these chawls.

The occupants of the 2,062 units will be rehabilitated in close co-ordination with the government of Maharashtra. The chawl inhabitants, currently living in dwellings of 100 to 150 sq ft, will be provided flats of 405 sq ft free of cost after the redevelopment, according to a senior NTC official.

NTC has appointed Cushman & Wakefield for providing services to ensure compliance with the stated provisions for rehabilitation. The consultancy will be responsible for conceptualising the potential, preparing methodology, and preparation of tenders for the project.

Minister Goyal clarified that currently the work will progress only on the redevelopment of chawls. The project has only reached its conceptual stages. The regulations related to the floor space index (FSI) and free sale component are yet to be decided.

The beginning of these redevelopment projects could give a push to revive the value of the unused land compounds within the city.

Mumbai faces continuous land crunch with its fast-paced growth. The regeneration projects will open up opportunities and merits for multiple land use of many such huge compounds.

The city was once home to numerous mills, most of which have now been shuttered, and its resources lie unused over the years.

These industries are spread over huge land parcels carrying some of the highest land values within the city. The areas carry immense opportunities for adaptive reuse to fulfil its potential and value in the present time.

Most of these mill lands are located in central and south Mumbai in Parel, Lower Parel, Mahim, Kalachowki and Lalbaug. 

The proposed renewal spanning 14 acres of NTC land will also free up areas at such prime locations for more housing stock, commercial centres and other real estate to be developed for the private market.

In Mumbai, many of the existing mills have gone under redevelopment previously.The mills in central Mumbai have been regenerated into spaces used for shopping malls, residential, corporate offices and commercial buildings.

One example is the High Street Phoenix mall in Lower Parel, considered one of the largest shopping malls.

In addition, the redeveloped mill compound also has a five-star hotel, a multiplex, commercial space, and a residential tower.

The Kamala City business park is another such example with the redevelopment of the Kamala Mills compound.