Surrounded by seven heritage structures, including a natural pond and a 40-metre high chimney, the now defunct India United Mills at Tukaram Bhisaji Kadam Marg in Lalbaug will host the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s mock mill environment.

Spread across 61,000 sq metres — the civic body has so far got the largest land piece in its share of the mill land — the museum will depict various aspects of mill, including technical (how the cotton was made) and social (how the mill workers lived). It will also have a landscaped garden.

The state government last year sanctioned a total of seven structures of India United Mills for inclusion in the heritage list. These include India United Mills number 2 and 3 as heritage precinct, ring and spinning structure in structure number 8, 9 and 14, semi auto loom and sizing department and in structure number 16 along with the chimney and the natural pond.

India United Mills is the largest government mill in Mumbai. The BMC will now develop a landscaped garden and the museum around these structures.  

The museum was first proposed two years ago, when a number of defunct mill lands were up for sale. To conserve old Bombay’s famous city life and culture surrounding numerous mills, the state government proposed the idea of a textile museum, which will offer the new generation a glimpse of the bygone era. The museum is expected to come up in the next two years and will receive funds to the tune of Rs 15 crore from the central government.

Additional municipal commissioner, RA Rajeev said that the civic administration has got its share of land only recently. “We will first form a committee of mill experts for giving suggestions on the aspects of the museum,” he said. The museum will showcase the process of cotton spinning, cloth making and the use of various machineries and looms. It will also have a section devoted to the social life of the mill workers who lived a colourful life and added texture to the city’s culture. The chawl culture, celebration of Ganesh utsav at mass level, all have roots in the city’s mill life, and would be portrayed at the mill.

BMC’s share of Mill land

As per the Development Control rules, mill owners are allowed to redevelop or sell their land on the condition to hand over one-third of the open premise to BMC and MHADA. BMC has so far has received 1 lakh sq metres in its share across the mill lands. Civic officials said that smaller gardens will be developed on these lands. The civic body is supposed to get a total of 13.62 hectares of land as its share.