Shriram RainForest

Shriram RainForest lies on Gramapanchayath Main Road, off Chapparkallu Road, at Hegganahalli near Devanahalli, pincode 562110. The project is listed under Yelahanka, and the area is part of the city's northern growth belt. The developer has not published distances to offices, stations, schools or hospitals, so none are given here.

Because you will build and live here for years, test the routes that matter. Drive from the layout to your workplace at your usual hour, and back in the evening. Do the same for a school run if you have children, and find the nearest hospital and weekly market. On the northern edge of the city those trips can be longer than on a map, so time them rather than guess.

Inside the gates, the layout is finished and easy to judge. Walk from the plot you are offered to the clubhouse and to the entry, and see whether it faces a park, an internal road or the boundary. Ask whether it is a corner plot and which direction it faces. Come back after dark to see how well the roads are lit, and count how many houses are already up nearby.

Shriram RainForest sells land, so there is no floor plan. Plots come in two sizes. One of about 2,000 sq ft starts at Rs. 76.2 Lakhs and one of about 2,388 sq ft starts at Rs. 91.7 Lakhs, both close to Rs. 3,800 per sq ft. Every plot has its own power inlet and water inlet, fed from central transformer yards and a gravity-based supply.

No GST applies to buying a plot in a completed layout. Stamp duty and registration are charged on the plot price. GST comes in later only on a construction contract, if you hire a builder. Ask for a cost sheet that lists:

• The plot number, dimensions and facing
• The rate per sq ft and any premium for corner or park-facing plots
• Clubhouse membership and the maintenance deposit
• Any charges for the power and water connections
• Stamp duty and registration on the full value

Setbacks and floor limits under local building bye-laws decide how large a house each plot can hold. Ask an architect to sketch what fits on the plot before you choose between the two sizes.

Shriram RainForest has no RERA registration number published for this layout yet. Ask Shriram Properties for it and check the entry on the Karnataka RERA website, rera.karnataka.gov.in. For a plot, though, the land papers below are what protect you.

Ask for these before you pay an advance:

• The land conversion order for residential use, covering every survey number
• The approved layout plan
• The release order that frees your plot for sale
• Title deeds and an encumbrance certificate for your plot
• Khata and the latest property tax receipt

The layout spans survey numbers 63, 89, 90, 91, 92/1, 92/2 and 93, so your lawyer should confirm that your plot falls inside the approved area and that the conversion covers it. At registration you sign a sale deed in your own name, then apply for the khata. Keep a copy of the approved layout plan and the release order with the deed, since you will need them to get a building plan sanctioned.

Shriram RainForest spreads 297 plots over 27 acres, with parks placed across the site. The developer's rain forest is a belt of more than 600 fruit trees spread over the layout. An organic garden for fruit and vegetables adds to the green. The share of open space has not been published; walk the site to see it. Launch images were renders as planned by the developer.

A morning could begin on the jogging track through the trees or on the yoga deck, then a swim in the clubhouse pool. The clubhouse measures 15,000 sq ft and holds the gymnasium and a games room. Children and teenagers use the outdoor courts after school, and retail spaces inside the layout save a drive for small errands.

Weekends bring shows and gatherings to the amphitheatre, and family functions to the party hall. Boom barriers control the entry and exit, and CCTV covers key points. While your plot stays empty, you still pay toward all this, so ask the association for the monthly charge, what it covers and whether owners who have not built get full use of the clubhouse.