Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is planning to rename Kamathipura, once home to countless migrant workers and famous as the city’s red light district, to ensure apartments in the ongoing cluster redevelopment project in the area can be sold without any hurdles, sources in the housing body told Hindustan Times.
Sanjeev Jaiswal, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Mhada, confirmed the development, saying, “We will be renaming Kamathipura.”
Jaiswal was speaking at the iDAC Expo 2026 at the Bandra Kurla Complex. He did not specify any proposed names or the timeline for renaming.
Concerns about Kamathipura’s infamous connotations were first raised by developers during the bidding stage of the cluster redevelopment project, sources said. Once the bidder, AATK Construction of the Bhagirath Group, was selected in November 2025 to redevelop around 34 acres, Mhada sent a proposal to rename the area to the state government’s high power committee for formal approval.
“The government will decide on the new name,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
According to a paper published by the Tata Institute of Social Science and Urban Resources Knowledges, Kamathipura emerged in 1795 on the northern periphery of Fort, on marshy land. It was inhabited by Telugu speaking migrants who worked as construction labourers and were known as ‘Kamathi’. Homes in the area were catered to the housing needs of single male migrant workers, and little thought was given to sanitation, ventilation or the need for open spaces. In the early 20th century, as textile mills and port-related activities flourished in the island city, descendants of Kamathis joined the city’s factory workforce. Gradually, commercial sex workers entered Kamathipura, and the area became famous as the city’s red light district.
BDD redevelopment
While speaking at the iDAC Expo 2026 on Wednesday, Jaiswal announced that around 800 flats in Naigaon constructed under the BDD chawl redevelopment project will be handed over to beneficiaries. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar would be present at the function, Jaiswal said.
On August 15, 2025, 556 flats at Worli were handed over to beneficiaries of the BDD chawl redevelopment project.
Construction is underway for another 20 buildings in Naigaon to rehabilitate 3,344 families, Mhada officials said.
