If you are looking at flats in Kestopur or flats in Panihati, one question changes your costs more than almost any other: is the flat ready, or still being built? It decides your GST, your monthly outgo during the wait, how much you can inspect before you pay, and how much risk you carry. This guide sets out the differences using published GST rules and RERA protections, and then shows how the choice plays out in each area. For a deeper look at GST, see our guide to ready-to-move flats and GST.
Ready to move vs under construction at a glance
| Ready to move | Under construction | |
|---|---|---|
GST | None, if the completion certificate is received | 5%, or 1% for affordable housing, without input tax credit |
Possession | Immediate | On the date in your agreement, which can slip |
Seeing what you buy | Inspect the actual flat and building | A model flat, plans and progress photos |
Your loan | Paid out in full; EMI starts straight away | Paid out in stages; pre-EMI interest on the amount drawn, then the full EMI |
Main risk | Condition of the building and the paperwork | Delay, change of plan or builder default |
What to verify | Completion certificate, title and condition | RERA registration, the promised date and the construction-linked payment plan |
Rates and rules as published for 2026. Confirm your flat’s category and cost sheet with the builder.
GST: the biggest price difference
GST applies only to under-construction flats. The rates have been the same since 2019 and are unchanged for 2026:
- 5% on an under-construction flat, without input tax credit.
- 1% if the flat counts as affordable housing, which needs both a price of up to ₹45 lakh and a carpet area of up to 60 sq m (about 645 sq ft) in a metro such as Kolkata. A flat that fails either test is charged 5%.
- None on a ready flat once the completion certificate is issued, and generally none on a resale.
On a ₹40 lakh under-construction flat, 5% is up to ₹2 lakh and 1% is up to ₹40,000. Published guides explain that GST is charged on the construction part of the price, so the actual amount is usually lower, and you should ask for the GST line in the builder’s cost sheet. A ready flat with a completion certificate avoids this tax altogether.
What you pay while you wait: pre-EMI
With an under-construction flat, the bank pays the builder in stages as the building progresses, and you pay interest only on the amount paid out so far. That is called pre-EMI. Here is an illustration for a ₹40 lakh flat, with the maximum loan of ₹32,00,000, paid out evenly over 24 months, at 9%:
| Ready flat | Under-construction flat | |
|---|---|---|
Registry charges (about 7%) | ₹2,80,000 | ₹2,80,000 |
GST | None | Up to ₹2,00,000 at 5%, or ₹40,000 at 1% |
Interest while you wait | Full EMI from month 1 | Pre-EMI of about ₹12,500 a month on average, about ₹3,00,000 over 24 months |
Where you live meanwhile | In the flat | Wherever you live now, so you may still pay rent |
Illustrative, not an offer. The real pre-EMI depends on your builder’s payment schedule and your lender’s rate. See your own figures in our home loan EMI calculator.
Pre-EMI does not reduce your loan, so it is money spent before you have a home to live in. Use our home loan EMI calculator to compare, and read our guide to flat registry charges for the registry, which applies to both.
Delay and builder risk: what RERA gives you
RERA exists to protect buyers of under-construction flats. For any new project, check these:
- The registration. A project must be registered. Look up its number on the West Bengal RERA portal (rera.wb.gov.in) and check the promised completion date.
- Where your money goes. RERA requires 70% of the money collected from buyers to be held in a separate project account, so pay only into the account named in your agreement.
- Delay. If the builder misses the date in your agreement, RERA lets you either withdraw and get your money back with interest, or stay in the project and receive interest for every month of delay.
- The payment plan. Prefer a construction-linked plan, where you pay as each stage is completed, rather than paying most of the price early.
Our checklist of documents to check before buying a flat explains how to verify each paper.
Flats in Panihati: mostly resale today, new projects still being built
Most of the choice in Panihati is ready: resale flats in Sodepur, Agarpara and Khardaha, which carry no GST and can be inspected today. The newer projects are mostly under construction. On 99acres, under-construction 2 and 3 BHK flats in Sodepur were listed from about ₹28 lakh to ₹50 lakh with possession dates between 2027 and 2028, and a sponsored Agarpara project showed possession from December 2028. If you buy one, you will wait two years or more and pay GST. See our guides to flats in Panihati and where to buy flats in Panihati.
Flats in Kestopur: mostly ready to move
Most of Krishna Group’s flats in Kestopur are ready, so you can see the flat before you pay:
- Krishna Paradise (Mission Bazar), Krishna Lakeview (Rabindrapally) and Krishna Shivangan (Tarulia): ready to move, with completion certificates received and no GST.
- Krishna Kamdhenu (near Barowaritala Bus Stand): ready to move. Ask for its completion certificate.
- Krishna Heights (Kestopur Canal Side Road): listed as available. Ask our team for its current stage and paperwork before you decide.
Booking directly with Krishna Group means no brokerage. See our guides to flats for sale in Kestopur and apartments for sale in Kestopur.
Which should you choose?
| Choose a ready flat if | Consider an under-construction flat if |
|---|---|
You want to move in soon, or are paying rent now | You can wait two or more years and have somewhere to live |
You want to avoid GST | You are comfortable with GST and a construction-linked plan |
You want to see exactly what you are buying | You trust the builder’s track record and have checked its RERA registration |
You want your EMI to start reducing the loan at once | You can carry pre-EMI interest while you wait |
General pointers. Your own timeline, budget and risk comfort decide.
Krishna Group: ready flats in Kestopur, a Panihati project coming
Krishna Group has 149 flats available across five developments in Kestopur, from ₹26 lakh, and most are ready to move. A new Krishna Group project is also coming to Panihati, and we will share its stage, location, sizes and prices once they are announced. To hear first, call or WhatsApp +91 91644 89774 or use the contact form and select the Panihati project. For a wider comparison of the two areas, read flats in Kestopur vs flats in Panihati.
See a Krishna Group home in Kestopur
Call +91 91644 89774 or book a site visit to see the flats for yourself.
Krishna Group has been building homes in Kolkata since 1988 and has completed 40+ projects. Our five current developments – Krishna Paradise, Krishna Kamdhenu, Krishna Shivangan, Krishna Lakeview and Krishna Heights – are all in Kestopur.
