Shriram Earth

Shriram Earth lies in Donnenahalli village, off Mysore Road, pincode 562130, at Survey No. 25/4. Most of your trips toward the city will start on Mysore Road itself. The developer has not published distances to offices, stations, schools or hospitals, so none are quoted here.

The best test is a real one. Drive from the layout to your workplace at the hour you would normally leave, then make the return run in the evening. Do the same for a school run if you have children. That tells you more about daily life here than any list of landmarks.

Because the layout is finished, you can also judge it on the ground. The main road through it is 60 feet wide and the sub roads 30 feet, so check which one your plot faces and how much traffic passes. Walk from the plot you are shown to the gate and to the clubhouse, and come back after dark to see how the streets are lit. Ask the seller whether the plot is on a corner or mid-row and which way it faces. Look at how many houses have already come up nearby, since a street with families living on it feels very different from a row of empty sites.

Shriram Earth has no floor plans, because what was sold is land. Plots came in five sizes of plot area: about 1,265, 2,060, 2,345 and 2,463 sq ft under the Boutique label, and about 2,177 sq ft as the Premium plot. The developer has sold them all, so any figure you see now is an owner's asking price.

On a resale plot, stamp duty and registration are charged on the land purchase. No GST applies to the plot itself; it comes in only on a construction contract you sign later. Layout maintenance runs whether or not you build, so find out the monthly amount and whether the seller is paid up. Before you agree a price, ask the seller for:

• Plot number, exact dimensions and facing
• A statement of maintenance paid and any arrears
• Any transfer fee the owners' association charges
• An estimate of stamp duty and registration on the agreed price
• Details of any structure or boundary wall already on the plot

Setbacks and floor limits under local building bye-laws decide how large a house a plot can carry. Have an architect check them for the specific plot before you settle on a size.

Shriram Earth has no RERA registration number published by the developer for this layout. Ask Shriram Properties or the seller for it and look it up on the Karnataka RERA website, rera.karnataka.gov.in. On a resale plot, though, the chain of land papers is what protects you.

Ask your lawyer to review:

• The land conversion order allowing residential use
• The approved layout plan and the release order covering your plot
• The original sale deed from the developer and every later deed up to the seller
• An encumbrance certificate covering the full period since the plot was first sold
• Khata in the seller's name and the latest property tax receipt

Match the seller's name and the plot number across every one of these papers. Check, too, that the plot's dimensions on the deed agree with the layout plan. At registration you sign a sale deed in your own name, then apply to have the khata transferred. Keep a copy of the approved layout plan with your deed, since you will need it when you seek a building plan sanction for your house.

Shriram Earth spreads over 20 acres, and the developer's specifications put open space at more than 40 per cent. Avenues are lined with trees, and an organic rainforest garden adds to the landscaped gardens. Since the project is complete, what you see on a visit is finished ground; any images you are shown were renders as planned by the developer.

A weekday could begin with laps of the jogging track or a session in the gymnasium, followed by a swim at the clubhouse pool. Children have a play area and a separate activity area, and the butterfly garden makes an easy walk once the day cools. Weekends bring the outdoor courts and the games room, while the amphitheatre and the party area handle events and family gatherings.

Until your house is built, you will use all of this as an owner who drives in, not as a resident, yet you will still pay toward its upkeep. Ask the owners' association who runs the clubhouse, what the monthly charge is and whether plot owners who have not built get full access. Solar street lights, boom barriers at the gate and CCTV cover the common areas, and a sewage treatment plant serves the layout.