What land is being acquired and where
The acquisition is for the expansion of the NLC Neyveli Lignite Mines, which is a mining project. All the land lies in Cuddalore district.
The notices cover 1,644 survey numbers. These are spread over four taluks: Bhuvanagiri, Chidambaram, Kurinjipadi and Vridhachalam.
Most of the survey numbers fall in Chidambaram taluk, and the largest single village entry is Kathazhai in Chidambaram taluk, with 617 survey numbers. Vanathirayapuram in Kurinjipadi taluk follows with 291 survey numbers.
The notices, the law and their stage
All 23 notices were issued under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997 and published in the State Gazette. The first is dated 13 February 2009 and the latest is dated 1 October 2018.
Under section 3(1) of this Act, the Government may acquire land needed for an industrial purpose by publishing a notice in the Gazette that states the purpose. The Act provides for the owner to be heard before the notice is published. Once the notice is published, section 3(2) provides that the land vests in the Government free from all encumbrances.
This is different from the 2013 Act procedure, where a preliminary notification is followed later by a separate declaration. Under the 1997 Act, the published notice is itself the acquisition, so a listed survey number should be treated as acquired land.
None of the 23 notices has been withdrawn, and none is recorded as corrected later. The records available here do not show whether compensation has been paid or whether possession has been taken. Those points must be confirmed with the District Collector, Cuddalore, or the land acquisition officer handling the project.
Compensation under the Act is determined by the competent authority after an enquiry, and the Act sets out a procedure for an owner who does not accept the amount. The applicable rate depends on the date of your notice and the rules in force then, so obtain the award details for your survey number from the Collectorate.
Villages covered by the notices
Chidambaram taluk: Kathazhai (617 survey numbers), Valayamadevi Melpathy (232), Valayamadevi Keelpathy (91), Valayamadevi Melpathi (54), Valayamadevi Kilpathi (46), Valayamadevi Keelapathy (42), No. 2-Valayamadevi Melpathi (21) and Valayamadevi Keelpathi (12).
Kurinjipadi taluk: Vanathirayapuram (291 survey numbers).
Vridhachalam taluk: U.Athanur (168 survey numbers) and Vadakkuvellur (7).
Bhuvanagiri taluk: Valayamadevi (Mel) (26 survey numbers), Kathazhai (19), Valayamadevi (Kil) (15) and Valayamadevi Melapathy (3).
The Gazette notices spell the Valayamadevi villages in several ways, and Kathazhai appears under two taluks. When you search, check every spelling of your village and both taluks before concluding that your land is not covered.
What to do if your land is listed
Get a certified copy of the Gazette notice that names your survey number, and compare its survey and subdivision numbers with your patta, chitta and adangal.
Visit the District Collector's office in Cuddalore, or the land acquisition officer for the project, and ask for the award and payment status of your survey number. Ask whether possession has been recorded.
Keep your title documents, encumbrance certificate and revenue records ready, because they are needed to prove your claim to compensation.
If you are a buyer, do not purchase any survey number that appears in these notices without written confirmation from the Collectorate. Because the land vests in the Government on publication of the notice, a private seller may have no title left to transfer.
If you dispute the acquisition or the compensation, consult a lawyer quickly, since remedies under the Act are tied to the procedure and stages it sets out.