Buying an industrial plot near Surat: a checklist

An industrial plot is only worth what can legally and practically be built and run on it. The checks are different from a residential purchase, and most of them happen before you look at the price.

The checklist

• Non-agricultural (NA) conversion for industrial use is complete, not applied for.
• The zoning in the development plan allows your category of industry.
• Three-phase power is available at the boundary, with the load you need sanctioned.
• The approach road is wide enough for a container truck to turn.
• There is an approved route for effluent and storm water.

Why the approach road matters so much

A plot on a 9-metre road cannot take the trucks a warehouse or a processing unit depends on. Widening a road later needs land from neighbours, which rarely happens quickly.

Check the road with a truck, not with a car. If a 40-foot trailer cannot turn in, the plot is not industrial in practice.

GIDC or private estate?

GIDC estates such as Sachin offer established infrastructure and a known approval process. Private estates can offer larger, better-shaped plots and faster possession, provided the same checks are done on title and conversion.