MIDC Launches Ambitious Slum Rehabilitation Project in Thane-Belapur Industrial Belt
The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has unveiled a major slum rehabilitation project in the Thane-Belapur industrial belt of Navi Mumbai. The project, one of the largest of its kind in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, targets informal settlements spread across 338 acres. The initiative focuses on rehabilitating nearly 35,800 slum structures located along the Trans Thane Creek (TTC) corridor between Digha and Shirwane.
Decades of encroachment have transformed large tracts of MIDC’s industrial land into dense settlements. The scale of the project is comparable to major redevelopment efforts like those seen in Dharavi. Under the tender conditions, only developers capable of rehabilitating more than 1,900 families will qualify. This criterion has raised concerns about limited competition, potentially favoring large real estate players.
MIDC plans to divide the project into three packages across different sectors of the corridor, allowing multiple agencies to execute the work simultaneously and speed up delivery. Selected developers will handle the entire lifecycle of the project, including planning, financing, construction, and rehabilitation of eligible residents. According to MIDC, assigning single-point responsibility is critical given the project's scale and the high land value in the corridor, estimated to run into several thousand crores. The redevelopment aims to transform the belt into a mixed-use zone with residential and commercial components.
The move marks a shift from earlier proposals that involved transferring land to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation for cluster redevelopment. A plan to create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) between MIDC and the civic body did not materialize after the corporation sought full land ownership, despite prior approvals for transferring around 225 acres. MIDC CEO P Velarasu said the agency is proceeding under a group redevelopment model and will remain flexible based on stakeholder feedback. “Consultations with residents, public representatives, and other stakeholders will take place before final decisions are made,” he added.
MIDC officials noted that many of these settlements have existed for decades, and previous attempts to clear encroachments were unsuccessful. A survey conducted over 10 years ago identified eligible beneficiaries across over a dozen slum pockets in the corridor. By moving forward with redevelopment, the agency aims to regularize housing, improve infrastructure, and unlock the economic potential of one of the region's key industrial belts.
