Kharghar’s Sector 24 site earmarked for a four-hectare art district

A four-hectare plot at Sector 24, Central Park in Kharghar has been set aside for a new art district that would include a second National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The Union culture ministry and the state government, through CIDCO, signed a memorandum of understanding on September 9. CIDCO managing director Ashwin Mudgal said the precinct would be the first art district built at this scale in the country.

The plan includes space for private galleries, art auctions, artist residencies, an open-air performance area and a theatre for dance and music. Nidhi Chaudhari, director general of NGMA, said CIDCO would make the land available for the project.

The new NGMA is expected to create permanent display space for art collections currently in storage, with the Lalit Kala Akademi also set to participate from the hub. The project will be developed in phases on land marked in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s 2022 development plan.