Region Overview
Third Mumbai (KSC New Town): The Complete Overview
Third Mumbai — officially the Karnala-Sai-Chirner (KSC) New Town — is a 323.44 sq km planned city across 124 villages in Raigad district that MMRDA is developing as a new economic and residential node anchored by the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and the Navi Mumbai International Airport. As of July 2026 it is still in the planning and land-policy stage, with a master plan due by August 2026 and only a handful of village development plans formally sanctioned so far.
| Official name | Karnala-Sai-Chirner New Town (KSC New Town) |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Third Mumbai, Mumbai 3.0, NAINA-influence area |
| Notified area | 323.44 sq km |
| Villages covered | 124 villages in Uran, Panvel and Pen talukas, Raigad district |
| Development authority | MMRDA, as New Town Development Authority (NTDA) |
| Notification date | 15 October 2024 |
| Land acquisition & allocation policy approved | 16 March 2026 |
| Master plan due | August 2026 (consultant: Surbana Jurong) |
| MMRDA FY2026-27 allocation for KSC | ₹4,000 crore |
| Village development plans sanctioned so far | 6 villages (as of May 2026) |
What is Third Mumbai / KSC New Town?
Third Mumbai, officially named Karnala-Sai-Chirner New Town (KSC New Town), is a proposed city in Maharashtra that includes the notified areas within the influence zone of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL, also known as Atal Setu) and the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA). The idea was first announced in 2013, under the name NAINA, to prevent haphazard development around the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. After the Atal Setu sea link opened, the notified area around the bridge was folded into the same project, and collectively these areas came to be called Third Mumbai. On 21 October 2024, MMRDA officially renamed the proposed city Karnala-Sai-Chirner New Town, after three villages in the area — Karnala, Sai and Chirner. Karnala is known for the Karnala Fort and Bird Sanctuary, Sai village sits in the Western Ghats, and Chirner is close to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), a key cargo port.
Who is building it
By notification dated 15 October 2024, the Government of Maharashtra appointed MMRDA as New Town Development Authority (NTDA) for 124 villages in Uran, Panvel and Pen tehsils of Raigad district, after MMRDA had, in August 2023, requested the state government to appoint it as NTDA for the MTHL influence area. This replaced planning functions that CIDCO had previously handled as Special Planning Authority for parts of NAINA and the Khopta New Town Notified Area, with CIDCO's role withdrawn in favour of MMRDA for this jurisdiction. The New Town is being planned by MMRDA primarily on the framework of CIDCO's Navi Mumbai development model. MMRDA also plans to use the CIDCO funding model, which compensates landowners with developed land rather than direct monetary payment. On funding and partnerships, MMRDA and the World Economic Forum signed an MoU in September 2024, aimed at establishing technology hubs and positioning MMR to host 65% of India's data centres, and MMRDA has since signed MoUs with global and domestic firms including Brookfield, Blackstone, Temasek, Sumitomo Realty and others, securing pledges reported at around USD 40 billion for MMR, including the KSC project.
Official notified area, villages and districts
By notification dated 15 October 2024, MMRDA was appointed NTDA for 124 villages in Uran, Panvel and Pen tehsils of Raigad district; the designated area is named 'K.S.C. New Town' and comprises about 323.44 sq km. Within that total, 80 villages fall under the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA), 33 are part of the Khopta New Town Notified Area, 2 are within the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Plan, and 9 fall under the Raigad Regional Plan. A further 2 villages adjacent to a municipal council and 7 full villages of Pen taluka were also brought into the notified KSC New Town area. The region sits within the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region, whose MMR was first notified in 1967 over 3,965 sq km, with MMRDA set up in 1974 as the administrative body for planning and coordinating development in the region.
Why it exists
One of the state's own notifications explains the rationale directly: to improve connectivity and reduce travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, MMRDA built the Atal Setu, which is expected to have a major positive impact on the region's economic development and growth. Government planners want to capture the land-value uplift this creates: the purpose of naming MMRDA as NTDA was to capitalise on the rise in land value in the region surrounding the sea link. There is also a bigger economic target attached to the project: MMRDA and NITI Aayog are working together to lift the Mumbai Metropolitan Region's GDP from about $140 billion to $300 billion, with 'third Mumbai' described as a vital part of that economic masterplan. More broadly, the project is meant to relieve pressure on the existing city: the proposed third Mumbai city aims to address critical issues faced by the MMR, including housing shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and transportation bottlenecks.
Current status (as of July 2026)
Planning is active but the city itself has not yet broken ground in most areas. The master plan for KSC New Town is expected to be finalised by August 2026; drone mapping and LiDAR surveys have already been completed, and the Urban Development Department has appointed Singapore-based consultancy Surbana Jurong Infrastructure to prepare the development blueprint. On land policy, the Government of Maharashtra, by resolution dated 16 March 2026, approved the Land Acquisition and Land Allocation policy for the New Town Development Authority and future MMRDA-implemented projects. Around 200 sq km has been formally handed to MMRDA, and from 27 April 2026 the authority began inviting the 124 villages to submit consent online. Progress on the ground remains uneven: only six villages — Karnala-Tara, Barapada, Dighati, Sai, Kasarbhat and Dolghar — have sanctioned development plans so far, though CIDCO has cut the NAINA betterment charge from 50% to 0.05%, a 99.9% reduction, and more than ₹6,000 crore in CIDCO infrastructure tenders have been cleared, the first in twelve years. On money, MMRDA has allocated ₹4,000 crore for KSC New Town development under its record ₹48,073 crore infrastructure budget for 2026-27, of which around 87 percent is dedicated to metro lines, tunnels, highways and elevated corridors across the wider region. Not everyone is satisfied with the pace or the process: the President of the Naina Builder Welfare Association has argued that landowners should be treated as development partners rather than mere beneficiaries, citing trust, fair return and timely implementation as the pillars of success, and earlier resistance was sharper still — farmers in the NAINA region have been unwilling to give up land, and residents of the 124 affected villages expressed deep dissatisfaction with the state's approach.
Headline connectivity
Two pieces of infrastructure define the region's current accessibility. The Navi Mumbai International Airport was formally inaugurated on 8 October 2025 and began commercial domestic operations on 25 December 2025, and since its launch, NMIA has grown from about 5,000 passengers a day in December 2025 to over 22,000 passengers and nearly 160 flight movements a day. International operations are scheduled to begin on 15 July 2026, and work on a second runway is underway, with a third runway also initiated, targeting an eventual annual passenger capacity of around 13.5 crore. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, or Atal Setu, is the other anchor project: it cuts what used to be a long haul through Thane down to a much shorter run between south Mumbai and the airport area, making NMIA a genuinely practical alternative to Mumbai's existing airport. Rail is catching up: the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation is implementing the Panvel-Karjat suburban rail corridor, involving three tunnels, two rail flyovers and five stations connecting Navi Mumbai with Raigad district. Metro links are still ahead: the airport is planned to connect with Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 and the future Gold Line (Line 8) of the Mumbai Metro, and has an interchange with the Port Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway at Targhar station, although a direct metro to the airport does not exist yet — the Navi Mumbai Metro Aqua Line currently runs Belapur-Pendhar, with an NMIA extension still in planning.
What happens next
The near-term milestone to watch is the master plan itself: it is expected to be completed by August 2026, with on-ground development starting in 2026-27. Beyond that, this is explicitly framed as a multi-decade build-out rather than a fixed-date city: Mumbai 3.0 is a long-term project that will develop in phases over decades. Aviation capacity will keep scaling in parallel — by 2027-2028 a second runway is planned to handle increased traffic, additional Terminal 2 capacity is to be added, cargo facilities expanded, and metro rail integration is meant to improve ground connectivity. On the land and governance side, expect continued village-by-village consent and development-plan sanctioning, further infrastructure tendering, and refinement of compensation policy, since land acquisition and compensation continue to be described as the biggest hurdle, with transparency in plot allocation and timelines seen as crucial to gaining landowner and investor confidence.
Development phases
Land use
Latest from Third Mumbai (KSC New Town)
Frequently asked questions
Is Third Mumbai the same as NAINA?
Not exactly. NAINA (Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area) was the original 2013-era planning zone around the airport. Third Mumbai grew out of NAINA plus the MTHL influence area, and in October 2024 the combined zone under MMRDA's charge was formally renamed Karnala-Sai-Chirner (KSC) New Town. CIDCO still separately handles a smaller set of remaining NAINA villages.
Who is the development authority for KSC New Town?
MMRDA, appointed as New Town Development Authority (NTDA) by Maharashtra government notification dated 15 October 2024, covering 124 villages in Uran, Panvel and Pen talukas of Raigad district.
How big is the notified area, and how many villages does it cover?
The KSC New Town notified area is 323.44 sq km, spanning 124 villages across Uran, Panvel and Pen talukas in Raigad district, Maharashtra.
When will the master plan be ready?
The master plan, being prepared with consultancy Surbana Jurong Infrastructure, is targeted for completion by August 2026. Drone and LiDAR surveys used to feed the plan were completed earlier.
Has any part of KSC New Town actually been developed yet?
Only in a limited sense as of mid-2026. Six villages (Karnala-Tara, Barapada, Dighati, Sai, Kasarbhat and Dolghar) have sanctioned development plans, and a land acquisition and allocation policy was approved in March 2026, but most of the area is still at the survey, consent and planning stage.
What connectivity already exists?
The Atal Setu (Mumbai Trans Harbour Link) is operational and has cut travel time between south Mumbai and the Navi Mumbai side sharply. The Navi Mumbai International Airport began domestic operations in December 2025 and is scheduled to start international flights from July 2026. Metro links to the airport and the KSC area are still being planned and built.
Why is the government building this new town at all?
The stated aims are to prevent unplanned sprawl around the new airport, capture the land-value gains from the Atal Setu, decongest Mumbai's core, and support a broader plan to grow the Mumbai Metropolitan Region's economy significantly by the end of the decade.
Sources
- New Town Development Authority (NTDA) | MMRDA official page
- Planning | MMRDA official page
- Third Mumbai - Wikipedia
- Navi Mumbai International Airport - Wikipedia
- Karnala-Sai-Chirner new town unveiled as third Mumbai by MMRDA - Mumbai Live
- Third Mumbai Named KSC New Town, Inspired by Raigad's Three Key Villages - Mumbai Live
- Maharashtra Govt Reassigns 80 NAINA Villages to MMRDA for Development - Mumbai Live
- Maha govt appoints MMRDA as development authority for Third Mumbai - Construction World
- The Mistakes Mumbai 3.0 Should Avoid - Swarajya
- MMRDA Confirms Development of THIRD MUMBAI - Ghar.tv
- Third Mumbai Expansion Gains Momentum - Pune Pulse
- Karnala-Sai-Chirner New Town (KSC) Third Mumbai - MMRDA - Cresceragroup
- Third Mumbai KSC New Town: 124 Village MMRDA Acquisition - Cresceragroup
- Residential Land/Plot in Third Mumbai KSC New Town MMRDA - Cresceragroup
- Mumbai 3.0 Complete Guide: KSC New Town Area-by-Area - Revaa Homes
- Mumbai 3.0 (Third Mumbai City): The KSC New Town Project - Khopoli Real Estate
- Navi Mumbai Airport Opening Date 2026: Latest Status & Updates
- Navi Mumbai Airport Set For Global Takeoff: 35 International Flights - Free Press Journal
- NMIA To Operate 35 International Flights From May 2026 - Mumbai Live
- Third Mumbai: MMRDA's ₹4,000 Cr Investment in KSC Town - NoBrokerage