What land is being acquired and where
The project is the doubling of the railway line between Madurai and Thoothukudi. The land for it is being taken under a Tamil Nadu State law, the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997. All the notices on record appear in the State Gazette.
In all, 1,086 survey numbers in 52 villages are listed. The villages are spread over four districts: Madurai, Virudhunagar, Thoothukkudi and Viluppuram.
The land falls in 13 taluks: Aruppukkottai, Kalligudi, Kayathar, Kovilpatti, Madurai, Madurai South, Ottapidaram, Sattur, Thirupparankundram, Thoothukudi, Tirumangalam, Villupuram and Virudhunagar.
Thoothukkudi district has the most villages, 27 in all. Madurai district has 14, Virudhunagar district has 10 and Viluppuram district has 1.
The notices and the stage of acquisition
There are 22 notices on record. Eighteen are acquisition notifications, two are errata and two are withdrawals.
Most of the notifications came out in a short span. Eight were published between 19 November 2021 and 14 December 2021. The notification of 6 December 2021 alone covers 18 villages. Seven more followed in 2022, one in January 2025, one in February 2026 and the latest on 26 October 2026.
Under this Act, the main acquisition notice is the notice under section 3(1). The Government publishes it in the Gazette when it decides that the land is required. Before that, the owner and other interested persons are to be called upon to show cause why the land should not be acquired. The Act provides that once the section 3(1) notice is published, the land vests in the Government free from encumbrances. The notifications are listed in the records as notifications under the Act, so check the text of the notice for your village to see which section it was issued under.
The two errata, dated 12 April 2022 and 15 June 2023, correct details in earlier notices. The two withdrawal notices are dated 24 March 2023, covering 3 villages, and 15 May 2023, covering 1 village. None of the 22 notices has been withdrawn in full.
These records do not show whether compensation has been paid or whether possession has been taken in any village. The Gazette notices tell you which land is notified. They do not tell you the stage of payment.
Villages list with survey number counts
Madurai district: K.Vellakulam Bit I in Madurai taluk (108 survey numbers); Melakottai (68), Nadukottai (31), Maravankulam (19) and Palakkapudupatti (3) in Tirumangalam taluk; Sivarakottai (56), Nallamanaickanpatti (42), Kokkalancheri (11) and K.Vellakulam Bit 1 (3) in Kalligudi taluk; Nilaiyur (25), Tirupparankundram (17), Nilayur Bit 1 (16) and Pudukulam Bit 2 (1) in Thirupparankundram taluk; and Avaniyapuram (1) in Madurai South taluk.
Virudhunagar district: Chathirapatti (190), Kanjampatti (49), Nalli (22), Pethureddipatti (22), Pothi Reddipatti (8) and Padanthal (7) in Sattur taluk; Virudhunagar (12), Kooraikundu (11) and Chatrareddiapatti (6) in Virudhunagar taluk; and Sulakkarai (13) in Aruppukkottai taluk.
Thoothukkudi district, Kayathar taluk: Melaparaipatti (39), K.Chidambarapuram (30), Sankarapperi (29), Onamakkulam (21), Kadambur (15), Ottudanpatti (13), Kurumalai (12), Sundaresapuram (11) and Ilavelangal (2).
Thoothukkudi district, Ottapidaram taluk: Maniyachi (22), Melapandiyapuram (18), Paraikkuttam (18), Parivallikottai (8), Savarimangalam (8), Therku Veerapandiapuram (4), Kollankinaru (2) and Ottanatham (2).
Thoothukkudi district, Kovilpatti taluk: Manditoppu (20), Iluppaiyurani (16), Innammaniachi (9), Nalattinputtur (6), Alampatti (5), Uttuppatti (4) and Idaiseval Part 1 (1). Thoothukudi taluk: Vadakku Sillukanpatti (24), Umarikottai (4) and Melathattaparai (1).
Viluppuram district: Kandamanadi in Villupuram taluk (1).
Note the two entries K.Vellakulam Bit I in Madurai taluk and K.Vellakulam Bit 1 in Kalligudi taluk. They are recorded separately, so check the taluk shown in the notice against your patta.
Withdrawals: 5 of the 17 survey numbers in Tirupparankundram and all 3 survey numbers in Palakkapudupatti have been withdrawn. In every other village, no survey number has been withdrawn.
What to do if your land is listed
First, get the Gazette notice for your village and compare the survey number and subdivision with your patta, chitta and FMB sketch. A survey number may be listed only in part, so check the extent notified against the extent you own. Also check any errata, since a correction may change the details.
If you are an owner, keep your title documents, patta, Encumbrance Certificate and tax receipts ready. Compensation is claimed by the person whose interest is recorded, so make sure the revenue records are in your name before the award stage.
If you are a buyer, check every survey number in the sale deed against the notices before you pay an advance. Under this Act, land covered by a published acquisition notice vests in the Government, so a purchase after the notice will not give you a clear title to the notified portion.
For the current position on compensation, award or possession, approach the District Collector's office or the Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition) handling the railway project in your taluk. Ask for the award details for your survey number in writing.