After facing years of administrative and logistical hurdles, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a fresh tender on Thursday to appoint a contractor for the second phase of its long-awaited 'Textile Museum' project at the India United Mills compound in Kala Chowki; this upcoming phase will focus on developing essential infrastructure including dedicated parking facilities, modern public restrooms, and a security cabin, with the museum now anticipated to be completed by next year.

Conceptualized in 2009 to commemorate Mumbai's once-flourishing textile industry and its historic mills vital to the working class, a 44,000-square-metre area within the India United Mills at Kala Chowki has been designated for a "Recreation Ground-cum-Textile Museum"; the formal proposal to convert Mills No. 2 and 3 into this museum was made after the National Textile Corporation transferred the land to the BMC under the Integrated Development Scheme, though the project, approved in 2019, subsequently encountered delays due to the pandemic and evolving civic priorities.

Phase 1 of the Textile Museum saw the BMC complete essential elements such as a souvenir store, five retail outlets, restored entrances, an amphitheater, textile murals, a cafeteria, ticketing facilities, visitor seating, and a musical fountain; currently, for Phase 2, a structural auditor has been engaged to evaluate the building's condition, define restoration needs, and estimate costs for its transformation into a multifaceted space encompassing a museum, library, auditorium, art gallery, and public plaza, with the entire project estimated at approximately Rs. 200 crore and initially slated for completion in 2024.