The notified area of Navi Mumbai Airport (Naina) also known as “Third Mumbai” has an impact on the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) as an urban center that changes the game. This intelligent and satellite city planned for Mumbai and Navi Mumbai are being formed near the Navi Mumbai International Airport that will soon be built. Its main objectives are to limit non -controlled urban growth and promote sustainable development. Thanks to its main location and bold plans, Naina aims to become the center of India for science and data that advance new ideas and increase the economy.
A vision for planned urbanization
Covering around 371 square kilometers and including 174 villages, Naina aims to stop the messy urban growth seen in other parts of the MMR. The city and industrial development corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) directs the project under the Regional Planning Law and the city of Maharashtra of 1966. This guarantees a structured approach through 12 urban planning schemes (TPS). These schemes aim to create a fair and lasting growth that combines areas of life, commercial spaces and industrial areas with updated facilities.
The main objective of the projects is to build a self -sufficient city system that goes beyond what Mumbai and Navi Mumbai have done. Naina will have homes, business areas, schools, hospitals and research centers. All these are meaans to improve the lives of people living there and bring companies around the world.
Increased connectivity with mega infrastructure
Naina’s growth is closely linked to important infrastructure initiatives that improve connectivity in the region, namely, the Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu (Mumbai Trans Harbor Link-Mthl) atal opened in January 2024, which has decreased the travel time of southern Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. The 22 km maritime bridge has now presented the trip from the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai to Naina up to 25 minutes, which is desirable for businesses and travelers.
Other notable projects include the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is expected to open in mid-April 2025, and the multimodal corridor of Vinar-Alibauug is a 126 km corridor that is expected to be completed by 2027. Together, these projects are expected to promote real estate demand and economic activity in the region.
Data and data capital of India
What is separated to Naina is his ambition to become the data and science capital of India. The Green Integrated Data Data Data Parks policy of the Government of the Maharashtra Government aims to establish NAINA and the MMR as a center for 1.5 Gigawatts of data centers with clean energy, which attracts investments of almost $ 20 billion. These Mega Scale data centers will store fixed amounts of generative data, transactional data, IoT Big Data and digital public goods, positioning Naina as a global competitor, partly against China’s data infrastructure.
India, the second largest Internet users base in the world, currently lacks sufficient data center capacity, with less than 2,000 megawatts available. A large part of the country’s data are administered by foreign companies, which increases conerns on data security and sovereignty. Naina’s coastal climate, the uninterrupted power supply and the planned digital infrastructure previously make it an ideal location for data centers. The Bharat science and technology data cloud, operated by the National Foundation for National Research of Anusandhan (ANRF), could ensure the safe scientific data of India, fostering innovation in AI and other cuts.
Community Challenges and Conerns
While Naina has the potential to be the “New Pune” or an intelligent and sustainable city, he has prevented legs for delays and challenges of local communities. The original Naina size, 600 square kilometers, has been reduced to 371 square feet. Km., Mainly due to protests for land acquisition payments and land use for development purposes. The agricultural community in Naina has demanded higher compensation payments for acquisition and a greater proportion of the land developed under the Cidco land group scheme. Cidco has tried to address this problem through surveys to issue notices against illegal constructions and help mitigate the displacement while providing a development that includes Transarence.
Entire communities of urban planners are advocating the provision of affordable homes to minimize the disconnection that occurs as economic development continues. Construction projects, development costs and high positions of Naina development can avoid access to new homes and reduce housing affordability. There are also calls to new policies and programs to promote affordable housing, such as Community Country Reserve (CLR), which prioritizes affordable homes around transit networks and development lines.
A golden opportunity for India
Naina repeats an incredible opportunity for India as a dedicated data center and to bring her aspirations to the next level. Naina will change the game with its unique combination of location, infrastructure and sustainability with the potential to redefine urban life in an unprecedented way in India. As Prime Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared in Mumbai Tech Week 2025, “Mumbai will always be a commercial capital, but Naina [will be] Big Business’s next great magnet. “
As this project progresses, we will have the way CIDCO intensifies rapid implementation with the cooperation of local communities. Recently, tenders for a total of ₹ 6414 million rupees in the development of infrastructure have already been floated for Naina. This project is on its way to achieving its objectives for intelligent, sustainable and technology urbanization within India.
What do you think about Naina’s potential to change the MMR and the technological landscape of India? Let us know in the comments below!