What land is being acquired for the Pollachi Western Bypass
The Pollachi Western Bypass is a state road project. Land for it is being acquired under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, and the notices appear in the Tamil Nadu state gazette.
The notices cover 121 survey numbers in 3 villages. All of them are in Pollachi taluk of Coimbatore district.
A survey number appearing in a notice does not always mean the whole survey number is taken. Notices usually list subdivisions and extents, so the exact area affected must be read from the gazette schedule for your village.
The notices and their stage
Two notices have been published so far. The first, dated 30 June 2023, is an errata covering 2 villages. An errata corrects details such as survey numbers, subdivisions, extents or names in a notice published earlier, so it should be read together with the notice it corrects.
The second, dated 25 September 2023, is a notification covering 1 village. Neither notice has been withdrawn, and no later correction to either has been recorded.
Under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, the Government acquires land for a highway by publishing a notice under section 15(1). Under the scheme of the Act, publication of that notice is the step by which the listed land vests in the Government, and compensation is then determined and paid under the Act.
Because this is a state road, the National Highways Act, 1956 does not apply. There are no section 3A or section 3D notices for this project, and the 21 day objection window under section 3C is not relevant here.
Villages covered
All three villages are in Pollachi taluk, Coimbatore district.
57 survey numbers are listed in R. Ponnapuram.
55 survey numbers are listed in Thalakkarai.
9 survey numbers are listed in Sangampalayam.
No survey numbers have been withdrawn in any of these villages.
What to do if your land is listed
First, obtain a copy of each gazette notice and check your survey number and subdivision against the schedule. Where an errata applies, read it alongside the original notice, since the corrected entry is the one that counts.
Second, confirm the position with the Special Tahsildar or Land Acquisition Officer handling the project, or the Pollachi taluk office. They can tell you the extent affected, the stage of the award and how compensation is being processed.
Third, keep your title papers ready: sale deeds, patta, chitta, adangal, encumbrance certificate and legal heirship papers where needed. Compensation is paid to the person whose interest is proved, so gaps in the title chain cause delay.
If you are buying land in these villages, ask the seller for the survey number and subdivision and check them against the notices before paying any advance. Land covered by a highways notice may vest in the Government, and a later sale does not give the buyer a clean title to that portion.