Mumbai, April 9 -- The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) has approved a consortium comprising Bhagirathi Housing Private Limited and Maathi Developers Private Limited to redevelop Kamathipura, a neighbourhood in south Mumbai that once housed workers and gradually became synonymous with the red light district that operated from a network of lanes and bylanes. According to the letter of approval (LoA) issued by Mhada on Wednesday, the consortium had emerged as the highest bidder following the tender process; apart from rehabilitating nearly 8,000 families residing in existing buildings in 500-square feet (sqft) apartments, it has agreed to hand over to the housing authority, free of cost, ready to move in apartments representing 8.25% of the floor space index (FSI) or buildable area. Mumbadevi MLA Amin Patel, a keen votary of the project since the beginning, hailed the development, saying, "With the LoA, the wait of 14 years is finally over. Those living in tenements of 100 sqft and even lesser will now get newly constructed 500 sqft tenements." 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 schools run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). As the special planning authority for the Kamathipura cluster redevelopment project, Mhada had floated tenders seeking a construction and development agency in June 2025. Now that the LoA had been issued, the project was likely to be completed in seven years, further boosting the real estate market after ongoing redevelopment of the Bhendi Bazaar precinct, officials said. According to the masterplan approved by the housing authority, the Kamathipura redevelopment project will be spread over 34 acres. It will comprise four buildings of 50 storeys each, which will be used to rehabilitate nearly 8,000 existing Kamathipura residents while three buildings of 69 storeys each will be developed for sale in the open market. A four-lane elevated bridge along Bellasis Road will connect the new township with the JJ flyover and the Haji Ali junction. Mhada has directed the consortium to establish a special purpose vehicle (SPV) within 45 days for executing the project, wherein its share should be more than 51%, a MHADA official said. Officials said Mhada is planning to rename Kamathipura project, to do away with its association with prostitution and stigmatisation, though the move would require the state government's approval. "The area is likely to be renamed 'Upper Mumbai Central' to improve the project's marketability and shed the stigma," the official quoted earlier said....