Shivaram Karanth Layout is the biggest planned layout in North Bengaluru, and it has been “almost ready” for years. If you’re house-hunting around Yelahanka, Doddaballapur Road or Hesaraghatta Road, you’ll hear about it from brokers, BDA watchers and the people who already live inside its boundary. Here’s what the layout actually is, where its sites stand in 2026, and what it means if you’re buying a flat or row house nearby instead.
Key takeaways
- Dr K. Shivaram Karanth Layout is a Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) layout across 17 villages between Doddaballapur Road and Hesaraghatta Road
- The commonly cited area is about 3,546 acres, though reported figures vary
- The project has been in court since the 2010s and the Supreme Court has monitored it through a three-member committee
- In July 2026 BDA was expected to open online applications, with most sites set aside for landowners who gave up land
- Only a small share of sites is meant for the general public, so don’t count on getting one
Looking for a home near here, not a BDA site? Our Shriram Apartments Yelahanka page covers Shriram’s planned 6.5-acre apartment project beside the proposed Madappanahalli park, with the expected price and RERA status.
In this guide
What Shivaram Karanth Layout Is
Shivaram Karanth Layout (officially Dr K. Shivaram Karanth Layout, after the Kannada writer) is a residential layout planned by the BDA. The BDA acquires farmland, lays roads, drains and water lines, and then allots plotted sites. It doesn’t build homes. You get a site and build on it yourself.
That makes it different from every project a builder sells. A BDA site is a plot with a lease-cum-sale deed from a government body, not a flat in an apartment complex. The buyer, the rules and the timeline are all different.
It’s one of the layouts the BDA announced in the 2000s to add serviced plots on the city’s edge. Wikipedia’s BDA article describes it as planned to deliver about 22,000 sites in phases. Press reports in 2026 give larger allocation figures, so the final count isn’t settled in public.
Where Shivaram Karanth Layout Is
The layout sits in North Bengaluru, across 17 villages between Doddaballapur Road and Hesaraghatta Road, north-west of Yelahanka. Reports place the land in the Yelahanka, Hesaraghatta and Yeshwanthpur hoblis of Bengaluru North taluk.
Villages named in press coverage include Avalahalli, Ramagondanahalli, Kempanahalli, Jarakabande Kaval, Veerasagar, Doddabettahalli, Harohalli and Vaderahalli. We haven’t been able to read the full notified list on the BDA site, so treat that as partial.
The acreage depends on who you ask. The figure most often quoted is about 3,546 acres, which matches the preliminary notification the BDA issued for 17 villages in 2008. Other reports have used 3,069 or about 3,200 acres, and the BDA has also moved to add more land. If a seller tells you a particular survey number is “inside Karanth Layout”, check it against the BDA’s notification yourself.
It also matters for the new park. When the state cabinet approved the 153-acre biodiversity park at Madappanahalli near Yelahanka in January 2026, the forest minister pointed to the nearby Shivaram Karanth Layout, saying its population could reach 2 to 2.5 lakh.
Why Shivaram Karanth Layout Took So Long
The short version: people built on the land while the layout was stuck. The BDA notified the land in 2008, but the plan was challenged in court and many owners kept selling plots and putting up houses in the meantime.
The case reached the Supreme Court. Its 3 August 2018 judgment cleared the way for the layout to go ahead, and that date now works as a cut-off: reports on later Karnataka High Court orders say people who bought sites inside the layout before 3 August 2018 can register with the BDA for allotment.
In December 2020 the Supreme Court set up a three-member committee to oversee the layout, headed by Justice A.V. Chandrashekar, a retired High Court judge, with retired IAS officer Jayakar Jerome and retired police officer S.T. Ramesh. The committee looked at buildings that came up on the land and which ones could stay. Its term and its future have themselves been the subject of news reports.
That’s the honest negative here. This isn’t a project that slipped by one quarter. It’s a layout that has been in courts and committees for well over a decade.
Shivaram Karanth Layout Status in 2026
In March 2026 the BDA was reported to be filing an affidavit in the Karnataka High Court, seeking permission to call for applications. By July 2026 reports said the High Court had approved the allotment process and that online applications were expected to open by the end of that month.
The split reported in July 2026 shows who the layout is really for:
| Who | Sites (reported, July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Farmers and landowners who gave up land | About 18,400 |
| Revenue-site holders | About 3,200 |
| General public | About 2,500 |
| Auction (sites on 80 ft and 100 ft roads) | About 140 |
Landowners are compensated with developed sites on a 60:40 basis, according to the same report. The application fee was reported at ₹1,000 for general applicants and ₹500 for SC/ST applicants, plus a ₹2,000 registration fee, with the application fee not refunded if you don’t get a site.
We haven’t found an official BDA notice confirming the final dates or that allotment is complete. Check the BDA website for the current notice before you act on any of this.
Shivaram Karanth Layout Site Price
Google’s most searched question about the layout is the site price. The July 2026 report said the BDA rate had been fixed at ₹4,900 per sq ft the year before, and that the BDA hadn’t decided whether to revise it. That’s a reported allotment rate, not a market price. At that rate, a 30×40 site (1,200 sq ft) would be about ₹58.8 lakh before any charges, by our arithmetic.
Ignore any “Karanth Layout site” offered for sale by a private seller unless you can see the BDA allotment letter, the possession certificate and a clean lease-cum-sale deed. With most sites going to landowners, resale offers will come, and they’re the ones to read twice.
What Shivaram Karanth Layout Means If You’re Buying Nearby
For most people, the realistic choice isn’t a BDA site. It’s a flat, villa or row house from a builder in the wider Yelahanka belt. Shivaram Karanth Layout still matters to that choice, in three ways.
Population. A layout of 20,000-plus sites eventually brings tens of thousands of residents. The minister’s 2 to 2.5 lakh estimate is the scale to keep in mind for roads, water and schools.
Supply. Serviced BDA plots at a fixed rate put a ceiling on what private plotted projects nearby can charge, once the sites are actually handed over.
Infrastructure that isn’t there yet. Layout roads, trunk water lines and drains are BDA promises until you see them. Don’t pay a builder a premium for “next to Karanth Layout” on that basis alone.
Shriram is planning two projects beside the proposed Madappanahalli park near Yelahanka. The Shriram Row Houses Yelahanka project is on about 7 acres, expected to start around ₹2.3 Cr*. The apartment project is on about 6.5 acres, expected to start around ₹1.1 Cr*. Neither is RERA-registered yet, and Shriram hasn’t said how far either site is from Karanth Layout.
If you want something already registered in North Bengaluru, Sobha Chartered Birdsong is a villa-plot project off Doddaballapur Road.
*Expected price, excluding GST, stamp duty and registration. Ask us for the latest cost sheet for a named unit before you pay a booking amount.
Checks Before You Buy Near Shivaram Karanth Layout
- Get the survey number and village. Then check whether that land was notified for the layout.
- For a BDA site, ask for the allotment letter and possession certificate. A general power of attorney or an “agreement” isn’t enough.
- For a builder project, look up the RERA certificate. It names the village and survey numbers.
- Ask about betterment charges. The BDA has levied them on properties in the layout area, so ask whether any apply to what you’re buying.
- Visit on a weekday morning. See which roads actually connect to Doddaballapur Road and Hesaraghatta Road today.
FAQs
Where is Shivaram Karanth Layout?
It’s in North Bengaluru, spread across 17 villages between Doddaballapur Road and Hesaraghatta Road, north-west of Yelahanka.
How big is Shivaram Karanth Layout?
The figure most often cited is about 3,546 acres, from the BDA’s 2008 notification. Other reports give 3,069 or about 3,200 acres.
What is the Shivaram Karanth Layout site price?
A July 2026 report said the BDA rate had been fixed at ₹4,900 per sq ft the previous year, with no decision yet on a revision. Check the BDA’s own notice for the current rate.
Can the general public apply for Shivaram Karanth Layout sites?
Yes, but only a small share is reserved for them: about 2,500 sites, according to a July 2026 report. Most sites go to landowners who gave up land.
Is Shivaram Karanth Layout near the Madappanahalli park?
The forest minister referred to the nearby layout when the 153-acre Madappanahalli park was approved in January 2026. We haven’t seen an official map showing the distance.
What we checked (5 November 2026): Wikipedia’s Bangalore Development Authority article; press reports on the layout from 2020 to July 2026, including the Supreme Court committee, the High Court allotment process and the reported site split and rate; and the January 2026 cabinet approval of the Madappanahalli biodiversity park.
We couldn’t read the BDA’s own notification online, so village lists, site counts and dates here are as reported. Confirm them with the BDA.
General information, not legal or financial advice. Prices are indicative and can change; get a written cost sheet before you pay anything.
Weighing a home near Yelahanka? Talk to us
We’ll check the survey number, the RERA filing and a written cost sheet for a named home.
