What land is being acquired for CPCL Refinery, Nagapattinam
The land is being acquired for an industrial project, the CPCL Refinery at Nagapattinam. The acquisition is made under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997, a State law used for land needed for industry.
All the notified land lies in Nagapattinam taluk of Nagapattinam district. In all, 326 survey numbers are listed, spread over 2 villages.
The figure of 326 counts survey numbers as they appear in the notification. Where a subdivision is listed, it is counted as it appears there. The extent taken from each survey number may be the whole field or only a part, so the notification itself must be read for your survey number.
The notification and its stage
There is one notification on record for this project. It is dated 2 September 2021 and was published in the State Government Gazette. It is both the first and the latest notice for the project.
Under the 1997 Act, the Government may acquire land for an industrial purpose by publishing a notice under section 3(1) in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette. Before that, the Act requires the owner and other interested persons to be given an opportunity to show cause against the acquisition. Once the section 3(1) notice is published, the Act provides that the land vests in the Government free from encumbrances.
This is different from the two step process under the 2013 central Act, where a preliminary notification is followed later by a declaration. Under the 1997 Act there is no separate later declaration. The published notice is the step that takes the land.
Our records show that this notification has not been withdrawn, in whole or in part, and no later correction has been recorded. These records cannot confirm whether possession has been taken or whether compensation has been paid. Those must be checked with the authorities.
Villages covered and survey numbers
Gopurajapuram, Nagapattinam taluk: 169 survey numbers notified. None withdrawn.
Narimanam, Nagapattinam taluk: 157 survey numbers notified. None withdrawn.
These are the only 2 villages in the notification. If your land is in another village, it is not part of this notification, though you should still confirm the village boundary and survey number against revenue records.
What to do if your land is listed
First, compare your patta, chitta and adangal survey number and subdivision with the survey numbers in the Gazette notification. Check the extent shown against your field, since only part of a survey number may be affected.
If your survey number is listed, contact the office of the District Collector, Nagapattinam, or the officer named in the notification for land acquisition, and ask for the status of your field. Ask whether compensation has been determined, whether an award has been passed and whether possession has been taken.
Compensation under the 1997 Act is determined by the officer authorised under the Act, and the Act provides a route to challenge the amount. Keep copies of your title deeds, patta, encumbrance certificate and any notice served on you, since you will need them to make your claim.
If you are a buyer, do not buy a listed survey number without first confirming its status with the revenue authorities. Once the notice is published, the Act vests the land in the Government, so a private sale of that land will not give you good title. For specific disputes, take advice from a property lawyer.