Residential plots around Dholera are attracting increasing attention from buyers looking at the region’s long-term development.
But one question is becoming equally important:
Are buyers evaluating the actual property — or simply buying the Dholera name?
To explore this question, we spoke with Shivrajsinh Chudasama, Founder of Dholera Smart City Solutions, whose work focuses on Dholera research, property evaluation, planning, location analysis and buyer education.
In this detailed Q&A, Chudasama explains why he believes residential plot buyers should look beyond brochures, future-development promises and price-per-square-yard comparisons.
Q: Why are residential plots around Dholera receiving so much attention?
Shivrajsinh Chudasama:
Dholera has a very large development story around it.
There is industrial development, infrastructure, connectivity, planned urban development and growing interest from investors.
Naturally, when people hear about these developments, many start thinking about residential demand as well.
The problem begins when every plot within a very large surrounding region starts being marketed simply as a “Dholera residential plot.”
For a buyer, that description alone is not enough.
Two properties being marketed under the Dholera name can have completely different locations, planning situations, access, surrounding development and future use cases.
Q: What is the first thing a buyer should ask?
Chudasama:
Not:
“What is the price?”
My first question would be:
“Where exactly is the land?”
Ask for:
- Village name
- Survey or block number
- Exact Google location
- Whether it is inside or outside Dholera SIR
- Applicable planning information
- Available project/property documents
Only after identifying the actual land should a buyer start discussing whether the price makes sense.
Q: Why is “inside Dholera” versus “outside Dholera” so important?
Chudasama:
Because these terms are often mixed together in marketing.
There can be a significant difference between:
land inside Dholera SIR,
land immediately outside its boundary,
and land several kilometres away.
That does not automatically mean one category is good and another is bad.
But buyers should know exactly what they are purchasing.
A project being promoted as “near Dholera” should not be mentally treated as being inside Dholera SIR.
That distinction should be clear before any investment decision.
Q: Is buying inside Dholera SIR always better?
Chudasama:
I don’t believe property decisions should be simplified that way.
The right question depends on:
- buyer’s budget
- objective
- holding period
- intended use
- actual location
- development around the property
- planning
- documentation
- accessibility
An investor with one objective and an end user planning to construct a home may evaluate the same location very differently.
So I avoid giving universal answers such as:
“Inside is always best” or “outside is always best.”
Property needs to be evaluated parcel by parcel.
Q: What is one of the biggest mistakes you see residential buyers making?
Chudasama:
People compare price before comparing location.
For example, someone may say:
“This project is ₹7,000 per square yard while another one is ₹10,000. Therefore ₹7,000 is better.”
That conclusion is incomplete.
First compare:
location with location,
planning with planning,
access with access,
documents with documents,
and future usability with future usability.
Then compare price.
A lower rate alone does not tell you whether a property offers better value.
Q: What should buyers understand about TP Schemes?
Chudasama:
Buyers hear terms such as:
“TP1”
“TP boundary”
“TP touch”
“near TP”
But these phrases should not replace actual map verification.
A buyer should understand the chain:
Village → Survey/Block → Planning Area → Original Plot / Final Plot where applicable → Land Use → Road/Access → Property Documents
Simply hearing the name of a TP Scheme is not enough.
Q: What about land use?
Chudasama:
This is another area where buyers sometimes oversimplify things.
A basic principle I repeatedly explain is:
TP Scheme ≠ Land Use ≠ Development Permission ≠ Property Title
These are related subjects, but they are not interchangeable.
Being located in a particular planning area does not by itself answer every property question.
That is why buyers should examine the specific parcel rather than relying on a general Dholera map.
Q: You often talk about the “future buyer.” Why?
Chudasama:
Because investors usually think about appreciation but often forget to ask who might eventually buy the property from them.
For residential property, I would ask:
Who is the future end user of this location?
Will people want to live there because of:
- employment
- transport
- schools or services
- surrounding development
- access
- proximity to active areas
- practical residential convenience?
Or is the investment thesis simply:
“Dholera will develop, therefore somebody will buy this plot later.”
Those are very different levels of analysis.
Q: Does being close to the airport automatically make a residential plot attractive?
Chudasama:
No single infrastructure project should be used as the entire investment thesis.
Airport proximity can be relevant.
Expressway proximity can be relevant.
Industrial development can be relevant.
But a residential buyer still needs to examine the actual property.
For example:
How is the approach road?
What development exists around it?
What is planned?
What is the land use?
How far is the site from likely employment and activity areas?
What type of buyer may want to live there later?
Infrastructure should be part of the analysis, not a substitute for it.
Q: What should someone verify before paying token money?
Chudasama:
At minimum, I would want the buyer to understand what property they are actually booking.
Before moving ahead, obtain and review the available information relating to:
- ownership
- survey/block identification
- location
- layout
- approvals applicable to the project/property
- access
- registration structure
- payment terms
- representations made by the seller
For legal conclusions, buyers should use an appropriately qualified independent professional.
The important thing is not to let urgency replace verification.
Q: What about statements like “title clear” or “RERA approved”?
Chudasama:
Buyers should ask:
“Which document supports that statement?”
A marketing phrase should always lead to a document or verifiable record.
Also, different checks answer different questions.
RERA applicability, ownership/title, planning, revenue records, land use and physical access should not all be treated as one single verification.
Q: What is your approach when someone asks you to recommend a residential plot?
Chudasama:
I prefer beginning with the buyer rather than the inventory.
I want to know:
- What is the budget?
- What is the objective?
- Investment or future construction?
- What holding period are they considering?
- How much location risk are they comfortable with?
- Do they specifically want inside SIR?
- Are they open to suitable areas near the boundary?
- What matters more: present usability or longer-term development?
Only after understanding this does it make sense to compare properties.
Q: So you don’t believe every plot around Dholera will appreciate equally?
Chudasama:
No serious property market works that way.
Even if the broader region develops strongly, different locations can perform differently.
Over time, factors such as:
actual demand, accessibility, surrounding development, usability, planning and available supply
can matter significantly.
That is why I believe buyers should avoid treating “Dholera” as one uniform property market.
Q: What concerns you most about today’s residential-plot market?
Chudasama:
The widening gap between the sophistication of marketing and the sophistication of buyer verification.
Brochures are getting better.
Presentations are getting better.
Maps look impressive.
Infrastructure names are added everywhere.
But buyers need to become equally good at asking questions.
The purpose of buyer education is not to make people afraid of Dholera.
It is exactly the opposite.
If Dholera is an important development story, buyers should understand it properly rather than making decisions based on incomplete information.
Q: What should someone do before visiting a Dholera project?
Chudasama:
Do some desktop research first.
I would suggest understanding:
- Dholera SIR boundary
- TP Scheme structure
- villages
- land use
- current infrastructure status
- inside vs outside SIR
- approximate property-price differences
Then, during the site visit, compare the marketing presentation with the actual location.
A site visit becomes much more useful when the buyer already knows what questions to ask.
Q: Why did you start publishing so much Dholera research instead of only property listings?
Chudasama:
Because property listings alone do not answer the questions buyers actually have.
People ask me:
“Is this really inside Dholera?”
“Where is TP1?”
“How far is the airport?”
“What does this map mean?”
“What documents should I check?”
“Should I buy inside or outside?”
“Who will live here?”
“What price is reasonable?”
These questions come before the final property selection.
That is why I want Dholera Smart City Solutions to function as a research and decision-support platform first and a property advisory platform second.
My principle is:
Understand Dholera first. Then decide whether a property makes sense.
Q: What is your final advice to someone searching Google today for “residential plots in Dholera”?
Shivrajsinh Chudasama:
Don’t begin by asking for the cheapest plot.
Start by understanding what type of Dholera exposure you actually want.
Then shortlist locations.
Verify the land.
Compare the properties.
Visit the site.
Understand the documents.
And only then negotiate the price.
A property decision of several lakhs or crores deserves more research than a few WhatsApp brochures.
About Shivrajsinh Chudasama
Shivrajsinh Chudasama is the Founder of Dholera Smart City Solutions, an independent private Dholera-focused research and property consultancy platform.
His work focuses on Dholera SIR planning, infrastructure, property location analysis, residential plots, due diligence and buyer education.
Readers can explore his research on:
Residential Plots in Dholera SIR
Dholera Property Due Diligence
Disclosure
Dholera Smart City Solutions is an independent private consultancy and research platform and is not affiliated with Dholera Industrial City Development Limited, DSIR Authority, the Government of Gujarat or the Government of India.
Property information should be independently verified before making a purchase decision.
