What land is being acquired and where
The land is needed to widen State Highway 9 between Cuddalore and Madapattu. All of it lies in Cuddalore district.
The notices cover 95 survey numbers in 8 villages. Seven of these villages are in Panruti taluk and one is in Cuddalore taluk.
A notice may cover a whole survey number or only part of one, often a strip along the existing road. Check the extent and subdivision printed against your survey number in the Gazette, not just the survey number itself.
The notices and their stage
Seven notifications have been published in the state Gazette under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001. They are dated 2 March 2020, 20 July 2020, 23 July 2020, 3 August 2020, 21 August 2020, 9 September 2021 and 29 September 2021.
On our records, none of the seven notices has been withdrawn and none has been corrected by a later notice. The most recent notice is dated 29 September 2021.
Under section 15(1) of the Act, the Government publishes a notice in the Gazette declaring that the specified land is required for a highway. The scheme of the Act is that the land vests in the Government once such a notice is published. The exact section cited in each notification should be read from the Gazette copy itself.
Compensation is determined separately, by the authority named under the Act, after enquiry into the land and the claims made by its owners. Our records do not show compensation awards, payment or physical possession. Confirm those with the Collectorate or the land acquisition office handling this project.
Villages and survey number counts
Panruti taluk: Kanisappakkam (36 survey numbers), Kandrakottai (18), Anguchettypalayam (12), Thiruvamur (11), Veerapperumanallur (10), Thorapadi (2) and Panapakkam (1).
Cuddalore taluk: Senjikumarapuram (5 survey numbers).
No survey numbers in any of these villages have been withdrawn from acquisition so far as our records show.
What to do if your land is listed
Obtain a copy of the Gazette notification that covers your village. Compare the survey number, subdivision and extent with your patta, chitta and FMB sketch.
If you own the land, keep your title documents, patta and recent encumbrance certificate ready. Lodge your claim and any objection to the extent or valuation with the land acquisition officer within the time given in the notice or the enquiry summons. Keep acknowledgements of everything you file.
If you are buying land in these villages, ask the seller for the survey number and subdivision, and check them against all seven notices before you pay any advance. Land covered by a notice that has vested in the Government cannot be validly sold as private land, and compensation will go only to the person whose claim is accepted in the enquiry.
Where a notice covers only part of a survey number, insist on a fresh measurement and a subdivided patta for the remaining extent before registration.