The organisation was known as Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and retains its previous logo.

KMDA is functioning under the administrative control of Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs of Government of West Bengal.

KMDA's role is multi-disciplinary: it is the agency of city planning, it sculpts new areas and townships, it develops physical infrastructure as well as provide basic services like water, drainage, waste management.

Besides these major functional areas, KMDA is also engaged in providing consultancy services and implementing projects on behalf of other public sector departments and agencies.

The Honourable Minister-in-charge of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs in the Government of West Bengal is the ex-officio Chairman of the Board of KMDA.