What land is being acquired for NH 179B and where
The notices concern land required for the national highway numbered NH 179B. The acquisition is being made by the Central Government under the National Highways Act 1956, and the notices appear in the central gazette.
In total, 1774 survey numbers are listed across 26 villages. The land lies in Dharmapuri district, in Harur and Pappireddipatty taluks, and in Krishnagiri district, in Uthangarai taluk.
A notice lists land by village and survey number, and often by subdivision and extent. If only a part of a survey number is needed for the road, the notice usually says so through the subdivision and the area given. Read the entry for your own survey number in full before drawing any conclusion.
The notices and their stage
Three notifications have been issued, all under section 3A of the National Highways Act 1956. The first is dated 10 May 2018 and covers 16 villages. The second is dated 1 June 2018 and covers 1 village. The third is dated 31 October 2018 and covers 24 villages. The same village can appear in more than one notice.
A section 3A notice is a notice of the Central Government's intention to acquire the land described in it. It is the first formal step. It does not by itself transfer ownership to the government.
After a 3A notice, any person interested in the land may file objections under section 3C within 21 days of publication. The competent authority hears the objections and decides them.
The next step is a declaration under section 3D. Once that declaration is published, the land vests absolutely in the Central Government, free from encumbrances. The Act also provides that if no 3D declaration is published within one year of the 3A notice, that 3A notice ceases to have effect.
None of the three notices has been withdrawn, and none was recorded as corrected later. The records summarised here do not contain any section 3D declaration for NH 179B. That does not prove no declaration exists. Confirm the present position with the competent authority for land acquisition and the District Collectorate before relying on it.
NH 179B land acquisition villages list
Harur taluk, Dharmapuri district: Thambal (274 survey numbers), Vedakattamaduvu (213), Ittiampatty (106), Gudalur (102), Harur (79), Theerthamalai (68), D Nachanampatti (67), Kamalampatty (63), Melsengambadi (60), Ellapudayampatty (56), M. Thadampatti (50), Lingapuram (38), Virappanayakanpatti (20), Palaiyam (11), Nachanampatti (9) and Kattavadichampatty (4).
Pappireddipatty taluk, Dharmapuri district: Malagappadi (115 survey numbers), Erumiyampatti (100), Pappambadi (90), Mookareddipatti (63), Peddampatti (62), Kokkarapatty (60), Nambippatti (24), Irulapatty (18) and Chinnankuppam (11).
Uthangarai taluk, Krishnagiri district: Athippadi (11 survey numbers).
Thambal and Vedakattamaduvu have the largest number of listed survey numbers. No survey numbers in any of these villages are recorded as withdrawn.
What to do if your land is listed
First, check the gazette notice itself. Match your village, survey number and subdivision exactly. Note the extent shown against your land, because only that extent is proposed for acquisition.
Second, compare the notice with your revenue records: patta, chitta, adangal and the field measurement sketch. If the notice shows the wrong owner, wrong subdivision or wrong extent, raise it in writing with the competent authority for land acquisition and keep the acknowledgement.
Third, if you are a buyer, treat a listed survey number with care. Ask the seller for the notice details, find out whether a section 3D declaration has been published, and do not pay for an extent that may vest in the government. A sale after a 3A notice does not stop the acquisition.
Fourth, on compensation, the National Highways Act provides that the competent authority determines the amount payable for the land acquired. If either the government or the landowner does not accept that amount, the Act allows the matter to be referred to an arbitrator appointed by the Central Government. Keep your title documents ready, because payment goes to the person whose interest in the land is established.
The period for objections under section 3C is 21 days from publication. For notices issued in 2018, that period has long passed. Take advice from a lawyer familiar with highway acquisition on any remedy still open to you.