Farmland homes in the South: Devanahalli, Kanakapura, Shankarpally, ECR

Design IRL Editorial · Figures checked 7 November 2026 · For buyers looking at farmland or managed farm plots near Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Chennai · How we make our guides

Farm plots near the southern cities are sold as easy weekend homes. Whether you can build on one depends on the state, the zone and the paperwork.

Farmhouse cost calculator →Villa cost calculator →Stamp duty and registration calculator →Home loan EMI calculator →Architect's fee calculator →

What people are building

Managed farmland near Hyderabad and Bengaluru is often sold in plots of 10–20 guntas, roughly a quarter to half an acre. These usually carry a cottage of 1,500–3,000 sq ft. Larger private farms carry bigger houses, but the same land rules apply.

Karnataka: Devanahalli and Kanakapura

Sections 79A, 79B and 79C of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act were repealed in 2020, so non-agriculturists can buy farmland. The government has said it will restore them. As of September 2026 it had not. This is a live political issue, so check again before you buy.
Conversion is by the Deputy Commissioner under section 95 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act. High Court rulings hold that an application not decided in four months is deemed converted.
Inside master-plan or BUDA limits, land is treated as converted once the fee is paid to the planning authority.
The Land Revenue Rules were amended in September 2025 and now ask for a notarised affidavit.

Telangana: Shankarpally and the GO 111 area

Land is converted through NALA, applied for on the Bhu Bharati portal, and then building approval comes from HMDA or DTCP. NALA usually takes 1–3 months, and the fee is a percentage of land value.
Converting after you have built carries a 50% penalty.
Shankarpally and other areas in the GO 111 lake catchment are effectively barred from building. In May 2025 the High Court halted construction that lacked NALA and HMDA approval.
Builders are lobbying for regulated farm plotting in conservation zones. That is a proposal, not a rule.

Tamil Nadu: the ECR

Change of land use is applied for online at onlineppa.tn.gov.in under the 2017 rules. The fee is ₹1,000 for scrutiny plus 3% of market value. Expect 2–6 months.
Wetland (nanjai) needs the Collector's agreement.
The rules were amended by G.O. 149 in July 2026.
Plots along the ECR must also be checked against Coastal Regulation Zone limits.

Rules change often

Land and building rules in India change often, and they differ from district to district. What we describe here is how we read the published rules on the date checked. Before you pay any advance, check the land and the plan with a local property lawyer and with the state authority that approves building on it. A gram panchayat permission is not enough on its own where DTCP, HMDA or another development authority has jurisdiction.

What building costs

City region	Indicative rate (₹/sq ft)	Note
Bengaluru, upper band	₹3,360–4,760	Estimator figure
Hyderabad, upper band	₹3,080–4,480	Estimator figure
Hyderabad, villas	₹2,300–3,500+	Excludes compound wall, sump, borewell, approvals
Chennai, upper band	₹2,940–4,340	Estimator figure

Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru are cheaper to build in than Mumbai or Delhi. Rural sites add haulage and set-up costs.

A remote rural site can add 10–20% for material haulage. Interiors for a farm cottage tend to cost a little less than for a villa, because the plan is more open and has fewer built-ins.

Water, waste and power

Many southern plots sit on hard rock, and borewells get deep. Deeper drilling costs more per foot.

Item	Indicative cost
Borewell, 300–500 ft	₹80–110 per ft
Borewell, 500–700 ft	₹100–150 per ft
Borewell, 700–1,000 ft	₹130–220 per ft; hard rock adds ₹20–60 per ft
Casing, first 20–60 ft	PVC ₹300–650 per ft; MS ₹700–1,300 per ft
Septic tank and soak pit	₹50,000–1.4 lakh
Packaged sewage plant, 3–5 KLD	₹1.5–8 lakh
Rainwater harvesting pit	₹40,000–2 lakh
Solar, on-grid	₹70,000–1.2 lakh per kW before subsidy

For a small cottage, a septic tank and soak pit is usually enough. A sewage plant makes sense for a larger house or where the rules ask for treatment. Under PM Surya Ghar, the central solar subsidy is capped at ₹78,000 for systems of 3 kW or more, and some states add more.

Questions to ask about a managed farm plot

Is the title in your name, as a defined survey number, or only a share of a larger parcel?
Has the land been converted, or will the developer convert it? Ask for the order.
Does the plot sit in a conservation or catchment zone?
Who approves a house here, and has anyone on the project got approval yet?
Is there a legal access road, a power line nearby and tested groundwater?
Get two or three quotes on the same drawings, and keep a 10–15% contingency.

Find the people

Sources

Most published cost figures come from firms that sell the work. We give ranges and you should get 2–3 quotes.