Silpa Botanica

Silpa Botanica lies at Sarvaravulapally, Kandukur, pincode 509358, at the southern edge of Hyderabad. The area falls in the region planned around Pharma City, which means industry and new roads are expected here, but much of the surroundings are still rural. Central Hyderabad and Shamshabad airport are both road journeys. The developer has not published distances or times.

Plan your daily routine around a car. Before you buy, drive from the plot to your workplace, to the school you have in mind and to the nearest hospital, at the hours you would actually travel. Note where you would buy groceries and medicines on a weekday evening.

A developing region changes fast, and not always on schedule. Look up what the government has approved for roads and public transport in the area, and treat any promised project as a bonus rather than the reason to buy. If you plan to build soon, check how building material and workers will reach the site and whether water and power connections are in place for your plot.

Silpa Botanica is without a published RERA registration number. Ask Silpa Infratech for it and look it up on the Telangana RERA (TS-RERA) portal. For a plotted layout the entry should show the approved plan and the number of plots registered, which you can compare with the 1,417 units quoted.

Land is only as good as its papers. Before you pay, ask for:

• The land-use conversion order for the 330 acres
• The approved layout plan with your plot marked
• The release order showing your plot is free to be sold
• An encumbrance certificate covering at least the last 30 years
• Title documents tracing ownership to the developer

Because the layout is complete, the purchase closes with a registered sale deed rather than a long agreement for sale. After registration, have the plot entered in your name in the local property records, and get building permission before you start construction. If you take a loan, confirm that your bank has approved the layout.

Silpa Botanica spreads over 330 acres and is divided into 1,417 units, with a clubhouse of 40,000 sq ft, themed parks and tree-lined avenues. Ask for the approved layout plan to see where your plot lies in relation to the clubhouse, the parks and the main gate. Any images are renders, as planned by the developer, so compare them with what is on the ground.

Once homes go up, a morning could start with the gymnasium or an aerobics or yoga class, and children could head to the creche or the play area. After school there is football, box cricket, the sports courts and mini golf. The pool with its decks and the wellness and spa zone cover a slower afternoon, and the indoor games area helps on a hot day.

In the evening, families can meet at the campfire and barbecue zone, catch a show at the amphitheatre or the mini theatre, or walk in the landscaped gardens. The multipurpose party areas can host celebrations, and a health centre and retail spaces are planned inside the township. Ask which facilities are running now and what the yearly maintenance charge is.

Silpa Botanica publishes seven plot sizes, and none of them carries a unit. The smaller plots are 308 (Rs. 98.6 Lakhs), 327 (Rs. 1.05 Crore) and 500 (Rs. 1.60 Crore). The mid-sized ones are 1,115, 1,200 or 1,250, costing Rs. 3.57 Crore, Rs. 3.84 Crore and Rs. 4.00 Crore. The largest plot is 2,086, at Rs. 6.68 Crore.

All seven work out to roughly Rs. 32,000 for each unit of size. At that rate the unit is almost certainly the sq yd, not the sq ft, but the developer must confirm it. Also ask for the plot's frontage, depth and facing, and the rules on how much of it you may build on.

A plot sale does not attract GST on the land, but stamp duty and registration apply. Ask for a cost sheet that shows:

• Plot size with its unit, and the rate applied
• Corner, park-facing or road-width premiums
• Clubhouse membership and its fee
• Development and infrastructure charges, if any
• Maintenance deposit and the yearly maintenance rate
• Stamp duty and registration estimate