How to Evaluate a Plotted Development Before You Pay a Token

How to choose a plot comes down to eight checks, done in order, before any money moves: approvals, land-use status, road width, drainage and level, boundary and demarcation, title chain, developer record, and the exit clauses in the agreement. Most bad purchases in Mathura and Vrindavan fail one of the first two. This guide walks through each check, what to ask for, and what a good answer looks like.

1. Approvals: the layout sanction, not the brochure

A plotted development in the MVDA area needs its layout sanctioned by the Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority. Ask for the sanction letter and the approved layout drawing with MVDA's stamp, and check that the plot number you are being offered exists on that drawing with the same dimensions. MVDA's website lists its services and publishes master plan sheets and village sajra maps, which let you check the zoning yourself; our explainer on what MVDA approval means and how to verify it has the step-by-step.

Then RERA. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act requires registration when the land exceeds 500 square metres or more than eight plots or units are proposed, and legal commentary confirms this applies to plotted projects. Registration obliges the promoter to disclose title documents, approvals, the layout plan and a completion schedule, and to route buyer money through a designated account. Look the project up on UP RERA's portal; if it is above the threshold and not there, ask why.

2. Land-use status: has the land left agriculture?

Most land around Vrindavan and Govardhan started as farmland. Under Section 80 of the UP Revenue Code 2006, the Sub-Divisional Officer declares that a landholder's plot is being used, or is suitable, for a non-agricultural purpose; the officer has 45 working days to decide. Note the fine print in the section itself: a declaration under sub-section (2), which is about suitability, does not by itself change the land use, and it lapses if the activity does not begin within five years. What you want to see is the declaration that the land is actually in non-agricultural use, plus the layout sanction that sits on top of it. Our post on agricultural land vs approved plot explains why a cheap "plot" on undeclared farmland is not a plot.

3. Road width: measure it

Roads decide value and usability. Uttar Pradesh's Building Bye-laws 2025, notified in July 2025, use nine metres as the reference width for residential plots: for example, up to four adjacent residential plots may be merged only if they face a road at least nine metres wide, and non-residential plots need twelve. Internal roads narrower than nine metres limit what you can build and whether an ambulance, a fire tender or a materials truck can reach your gate.

Ask for the road widths marked on the sanctioned layout, then take a tape on the site visit and measure the road in front of the plot you are offered, wall to wall. If the drawing says nine metres and the ground says six, the developer has encroached on the road with plot area, and MVDA will notice eventually. Read why road width decides the value of your plot for the resale side.

4. Drainage, level and water

Visit after rain if you can. Look for standing water, the direction of slope, and where the layout's storm drains actually go. A plot lower than the road will flood; a layout with no outfall will flood everywhere. Ask where the sewer or septic system discharges and whether the water supply is a borewell, a municipal line, or a promise. Look at the plot's neighbours: if the built houses have raised their plinths a metre above the road, they learned something.

5. Boundary, demarcation and encroachment

A good layout has a boundary wall around the whole scheme and concrete demarcation pillars at every plot corner. Check that the pillars match the layout dimensions, that no neighbour's wall sits inside your line, and that the plot is not partly on a road, drain or green reservation. Ask who maintains the perimeter and the gate after all plots are sold; a layout without a residents' body or developer commitment tends to lose its wall to the neighbouring field.

6. Title chain: the papers behind the plot

The plot is only as good as the seller's title. The core documents:

• Khatauni and khasra extracts showing the developer or landowner as recorded holder, checked live on UP Bhulekh.
• The chain of registered sale deeds by which the developer acquired the land, ideally going back thirty years.
• Encumbrance search at the sub-registrar's office for mortgages or attachments.
• Any development agreement or power of attorney between landowner and developer, and confirmation that the person signing your deed is authorised to.
• Mutation (dakhil kharij) status for the developer's own purchase.

A registered sale deed in your name is the only thing that transfers ownership. In Suraj Lamp v. State of Haryana (2011) the Supreme Court held that sale agreement, general power of attorney and will transactions "do not convey any title nor create any interest in an immovable property". Genuine POAs, such as a relative registering for you, remain valid; a plot sold to you on a GPA does not. Our document checklist lists every paper in order.

7. Developer record: delivered, not promised

Look at what the developer has finished, not what they are launching. Visit a delivered project: are the roads made, the boundary wall standing, houses built and occupied, registries done? Talk to residents at the gate. Check the company on the MCA portal, search UP RERA for past projects and complaints, and search court records for litigation over land. We set this out in how to verify a real estate developer.

For what it is worth, our own delivered layouts at Govardhan, Girraj Pathway at Aanyor and Govardhanlok at Jamunavata, are MVDA-approved and open for exactly this kind of visit; see /projects. Judge us by the same standard you would apply to anyone.

8. Exit clauses: what if you change your mind

Before you pay a token (bayana), get a written agreement that states the plot number, the total price, the payment schedule, the registry date, who pays stamp duty, what happens to the token if you withdraw, and what happens if the developer cannot register on time. A fair agreement refunds most or all of the token if the developer's papers fail verification. An agreement that forfeits everything if you take a week longer to arrange funds is a warning.

Pay the token by bank transfer, never in cash. Under Section 269SS of the Income Tax Act a seller cannot accept Rs 20,000 or more in cash as an advance for immovable property, and the penalty under Section 271D equals the amount received. Get a receipt that names the plot and the layout.

The checks at a glance

Check	Ask for	Good answer
Layout approval	MVDA sanction letter and stamped drawing	Your plot number and size appear on it
RERA	Registration number	Listed on UP RERA with matching details
Land use	Section 80 declaration	Land declared in non-agricultural use
Roads	Widths on layout; tape on site	Nine metres or wider, matching the drawing
Drainage	Slope, drains, outfall	Plot at or above road; drains discharge somewhere real
Boundary	Scheme wall, corner pillars	Pillars match dimensions; no overlaps
Title	Khatauni, deed chain, encumbrance search	Clean chain; seller authorised to sign
Developer	Delivered project visit	Roads, wall, registries done; residents content
Exit	Written token agreement	Refund if papers fail; clear registry date

What this means for you

Do the eight checks in order and stop at the first one that fails; do not let a good price pull you past a missing sanction letter. Bring a tape, visit after rain, and talk to residents of a delivered project. If everything holds, pay your token by bank transfer against a written agreement and move to registry. If you would like to run this list on one of our layouts, we will hand you the documents at the gate; arrange a visit through /contact.