What land is being acquired and where
The Jalagandapuram Bypass is a state road project. The land for it is being acquired by the State Government under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, and not under the National Highways Act.
The acquisition covers 215 survey numbers in 3 villages of Salem district. Two villages are in Mettur taluk and one is in Edappady taluk.
The notices are published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette. The gazette entry, read with the schedule of survey numbers, is the document that tells you whether a particular piece of land is affected.
The notices and their stage
Three notices have been published for this project. The first, a notification dated 5 February 2021, covered all 3 villages. It was later corrected.
Two errata followed, one dated 18 January 2023 and one dated 28 March 2023. Each of them relates to one village. An erratum corrects details in an earlier notice, such as survey numbers, subdivisions or extents. It does not start a fresh acquisition by itself.
Acquisition notices under this Act are issued under section 15(1). Under the scheme of the Act, publication of such a notice is the step by which the government acquires the land for highway purposes, and the Act provides for the land to vest in the government. The owner's remedy after that is compensation, not a right to keep the land.
As per the records summarised here, no notice for this project has been withdrawn, in full or for any village. These records do not show whether compensation has been determined or paid, or whether possession has been taken. For that, you must check with the land acquisition office handling the project.
Villages covered by the Jalagandapuram Bypass acquisition
Thoramangalam village, Mettur taluk, Salem district: 107 survey numbers. No withdrawals.
Irrupali village, Edappady taluk, Salem district: 55 survey numbers. No withdrawals.
Soorapalli village, Mettur taluk, Salem district: 53 survey numbers. No withdrawals.
These are the only villages in the notices for this project. Because two errata were issued, always read the original notification together with the errata for your village before concluding that a survey number is in or out.
What to do if your land is listed
First, confirm the listing. Obtain the gazette notification of 5 February 2021 and both errata, and match your survey number and subdivision exactly. A survey number may be listed only in part, so compare extents as well.
If you are the owner, keep your title documents, patta, chitta, adangal and FMB sketch ready. Compensation is fixed by the authority handling the acquisition after an enquiry, and owners are entitled to be heard and to claim. Tamil Nadu has applied the compensation principles of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 to acquisitions under this Act, so ask the office how your award is being computed.
For the current position on your land, including whether an award has been passed or compensation deposited, enquire at the Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition) office for highways, the District Collectorate in Salem, or the taluk office at Mettur or Edappady.
If you are a buyer, do not rely on the encumbrance certificate alone, since an acquisition notice may not appear in it. Check the gazette notices, the revenue records at the taluk office and the FMB sketch. Avoid buying listed land unless you have legal advice and clear written confirmation of its position.