NAINA and KSC New Town are two different projects — do not confuse them
Direct answer: NAINA (the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area) is a CIDCO planning zone around the new airport, and in March 2025 CIDCO slashed its betterment charge from 50% to 0.05% — a 99.9% cut. The KSC New Town, marketed as “Third Mumbai” or “Mumbai 3.0”, is a separate MMRDA greenfield city of 323.44 sq km across 124 villages in Raigad, for which MMRDA appointed Singapore’s Surbana Jurong on 7 August 2026 to write the master plan. Same region, two authorities, two rulebooks — and mixing them up is the single most common mistake land buyers are making right now.
Key takeaways
- NAINA is CIDCO. KSC New Town is MMRDA. Different notifying authorities, different FSI regimes, different timelines.
- The betterment-charge cut belongs to NAINA — from 50% to 0.05%, approved on state direction and announced 6 March 2025. It does not apply to KSC.
- NAINA land pooling returns 40% of pooled land as developed plots at FSI 2.5 — roughly 17,000 sq ft of buildable area per acre contributed.
- KSC New Town is still at vision stage. The master plan from Surbana Jurong is expected around Q1 2027; no plots, layouts or reservations are final yet.
- For buyers, the practical rule is: verify which zone a plot sits in, and never price a KSC-village plot as if it already carried NAINA’s approved rules.
What is NAINA, and what actually changed in 2025?
NAINA is CIDCO’s Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area — the planning region CIDCO controls around the Navi Mumbai International Airport. CIDCO is the Special Planning Authority here, which means it decides FSI, reservations, land pooling and the charges levied on development.
The headline reform is the betterment charge. A betterment charge is a levy a planning authority collects on the increase in land value its own infrastructure creates. NAINA’s original proposal set this at up to 50% of the increased value — a number so high that landowners and developers stalled, and layouts sat unapproved for years.
On state direction, the CIDCO board approved cutting that charge to just 0.05%, and the state cabinet ratified it. The reform was announced on 6 March 2025. That is a 2025 decision — despite “Third Mumbai in 2026” headlines, the charge cut is more than a year old, and any blog dating it to 2026 is wrong.
Alongside the charge cut, NAINA runs a land-pooling model. Instead of outright acquisition, a landowner contributes land to the pool and receives back 40% of it as a fully developed plot — road-fronted, serviced, and permitted at FSI 2.5. On a per-acre basis that works out to roughly 17,000 sq ft of buildable area on the returned plot. Town Planning Schemes TPS-1 through TPS-12 have been approved, infrastructure tenders worth about ₹6,600 crore have been floated, and TPS-1 works are already complete.
What is the KSC New Town, or Mumbai 3.0?
KSC New Town is a separate greenfield city planned by MMRDA — not CIDCO — spanning 323.44 sq km across 124 villages in the Panvel, Uran and Pen talukas of Raigad district. The state notified it under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act and appointed MMRDA as the New Town Development Authority.
On 7 August 2026, in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, MMRDA signed Singapore-based Surbana Jurong to prepare the vision document and master plan. Surbana Jurong is the planning consultancy behind large parts of Singapore’s urban form, and its first-phase deliverables — land use, mobility and infrastructure frameworks — are scheduled over roughly 30 weeks, putting the master plan around the first quarter of 2027.
The crucial point for a buyer: KSC is at the vision stage. There is no approved layout, no fixed FSI schedule, no reservation map and no plot-return formula in force. What exists today is a notified boundary and a consultant appointment. Everything that determines a specific plot’s value — where roads land, what gets reserved for green or civic use, what FSI applies — is still to be drawn.
NAINA vs KSC New Town: the comparison land buyers keep asking for
Generic property blogs blur these two into one “Third Mumbai” story. They are not one project. This table is the distinction, side by side.
| Feature | NAINA | KSC New Town (Third Mumbai / Mumbai 3.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Planning authority | CIDCO | MMRDA |
| What it is | Airport influence notified area, already being developed | Greenfield new town, at vision-and-master-plan stage |
| Area / spread | Multiple villages around the Navi Mumbai airport | 323.44 sq km, 124 villages, Panvel-Uran-Pen talukas, Raigad |
| Signature 2025-26 event | Betterment charge cut 50% to 0.05% (announced 6 Mar 2025) | Surbana Jurong appointed for master plan (signed 7 Aug 2026) |
| Land model | Land pooling: 40% returned as developed plot, FSI 2.5 | Not yet finalised; to be defined in the master plan |
| Maturity | TPS 1-12 approved; ~₹6,600 cr tenders; TPS-1 works done | Master plan expected around Q1 2027 |
| Buyer readiness | Buyable with proper diligence on TPS status | Early-stage; price on today’s fundamentals, not future promises |
Why the betterment-charge cut matters to a plot buyer
The cut removes the biggest cost that was freezing NAINA layout approvals, which improves the odds that a plot you buy actually gets developed and sold on time. When the charge stood at up to 50% of the value uplift, many landowners simply refused to submit layouts, so pooled land stayed unbuilt and buyers had no clean product to purchase.
At 0.05% the levy is effectively symbolic. That is expected to unlock TPS submissions, accelerate the return of developed plots, and deepen the supply of legitimately sanctioned inventory. For a buyer, more sanctioned layouts means more plots that clear due diligence — rather than the semi-legal, unapproved parcels that dominate speculative belts.
It is not a licence to overpay. The cut improves developability; it does not by itself justify a price jump. Value still depends on the specific TPS the plot falls in, how far infrastructure has actually reached, and whether the title and NA status hold up. Read our 12 red flags to check before you buy a plot in MMR before you commit to any NAINA-belt parcel.
“The NAINA betterment-charge cut is genuinely significant, but it is a CIDCO decision inside CIDCO’s zone. Buyers get into trouble when a broker uses the KSC New Town headline to price a Raigad plot that is still just a notified village on a map. Confirm the authority first, then the paperwork, then the price — in that order.”
— Girish Chhalwani, Founder & CEO, THE EDGE Developments
How should a land buyer act in 2026?
Treat the two projects as two different investment cases with different risk profiles.
- Identify the zone in writing. Ask which authority governs the plot — CIDCO/NAINA or MMRDA/KSC — and get it from the survey number and village, not from marketing.
- For NAINA plots, check the TPS. Confirm which Town Planning Scheme the land sits in and whether that scheme is approved and under works. TPS-1 is done; others are at different stages.
- For KSC-village plots, price on today’s fundamentals. There is no approved layout yet, so buy only at a price justified by current access, title and NA status — never at a “future new-town” premium.
- Verify title, NA order and 7/12 extract regardless of zone. Reforms change charges and timelines; they do not fix a defective title.
- Budget the real transaction cost. Stamp duty and registration still apply on top of the plot price — see our stamp duty and registration cost breakdown for Maharashtra land in 2026.
For the wider corridor logic — how a new airport city resets surrounding land values — see our pillar explainer, Third Mumbai and NAINA explained: how the new airport city will reset land values. If you are looking further inland along the same growth axis, our note on Khopoli land investment in 2026 and the NAINA influence zone maps how the ripple reaches the Khopoli belt.
Frequently asked questions
Is NAINA the same as the KSC New Town or Mumbai 3.0 project
No. NAINA is CIDCO’s Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area around the new airport. KSC New Town, marketed as Third Mumbai or Mumbai 3.0, is a separate MMRDA greenfield city of 323.44 sq km across 124 villages in Raigad. Two different authorities, two different rulebooks.
What did the NAINA betterment charge cut actually change for land buyers
It removed the biggest cost that was stalling NAINA layout approvals. By cutting the charge from up to 50% of the value uplift to 0.05%, CIDCO made it viable for landowners to submit layouts, which is expected to increase the supply of properly sanctioned plots that clear due diligence.
When was the NAINA betterment charge reduced from 50 percent to 0.05 percent
It was announced on 6 March 2025. The CIDCO board approved the cut on state direction and the state cabinet ratified it. This is a 2025 reform, so any source dating the betterment-charge cut to 2026 is incorrect.
How much developed land does a farmer get back under NAINA land pooling
Under NAINA land pooling, a landowner receives 40% of the contributed land back as a fully developed, serviced plot permitted at FSI 2.5. On a per-acre basis that works out to roughly 17,000 sq ft of buildable area on the returned plot.
Should land buyers wait for the KSC New Town master plan before buying
For plots inside the KSC villages, caution is warranted because no approved layout, FSI schedule or reservation map exists until the master plan lands, expected around Q1 2027. Buy only at a price justified by today’s access, title and NA status, not at a future new-town premium. NAINA plots, by contrast, can be assessed now against approved TPS status.
A note on how to read this
This article is general information for land buyers in the MMR, Karjat-Neral and Raigad belt, not legal, tax or investment advice. Government charges, FSI rules, TPS approvals and master-plan timelines change with official notifications. Verify every figure against the current CIDCO, MMRDA and Maharashtra Revenue Department orders, and take independent title and tax advice before you transact. Where we cite a rate or date, it reflects the sources listed below as of August 2026.
Talk to THE EDGE Developments
THE EDGE Developments works across Land Development, Spotlight, Corporate Advisory and E-Learning, all powered by our shared Land Intelligence foundation. If you want a plot in the NAINA or Third Mumbai belt checked for zone, TPS status, title and true cost before you commit, contact our team. Call +91-9664662938 or email connect@theedgedevelopments.com.
Related reading
- Third Mumbai and NAINA explained: how the new airport city will reset land values
- Khopoli land investment 2026: the NAINA influence zone
- 12 red flags to check before you buy a plot in MMR
- Stamp duty and registration charges on land in Maharashtra 2026
Citations and sources
- MMRDA-Surbana Jurong signing, area and villages — The Free Press Journal, MMRDA signs pact with Singapore’s Surbana Jurong to prepare Mumbai 3.0 vision document and master plan
- Maharashtra clearing Surbana Jurong for the Mumbai 3.0 plan — Construction World, Maharashtra clears Surbana Jurong for Mumbai Three Point Zero plan
- NAINA betterment charge cut 50% to 0.05% (announced 6 March 2025) — Lokmat Times, Major relief for farmers as CIDCO reduces betterment charges in NAINA project
- CIDCO approval of the betterment-charge cut for NAINA developers — The Free Press Journal, CIDCO approves major cut in betterment charges for NAINA developers
Related land-policy updates from THE EDGE
- Land pooling in Maharashtra: how MMRDA and CIDCO Town Planning Schemes work
- How greenfield and peripheral-village land gets opened for development in Maharashtra
- Transit-oriented development in Maharashtra: FSI along metro and expressways
