What land is being acquired and where
The land is required for widening State Highway 41, the road linking Rajapalayam, Sankarankovil and Tirunelveli. The acquisition is being carried out by the State Government under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001.
In all, 91 survey numbers are listed. They fall in 10 villages spread over three districts: Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar.
The taluks involved are Manur, Rajapalayam, Sankarankovil, Tirunelveli and Veerakeralampudur.
The notices and their stage
Three notifications have been published in the State Gazette under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001. The first, dated 6 November 2015, covers 8 villages. Two later notifications, dated 27 February 2024 and 7 March 2024, cover one village each.
Under section 15(1) of the Act, the Government publishes a notice stating that specified land is required for a highway purpose. The notice gives the survey numbers and extent of land, and owners and interested persons may file objections within the period the notice allows. After objections are considered, the Government may proceed to take the land, with compensation determined by the competent authority under the Act.
On the records available, none of the three notices has been withdrawn, and none has been corrected by a later notice. These records do not show whether compensation has been paid, whether possession has been taken, or whether the widening work is complete. Those points must be confirmed with the land acquisition office for highways in the district concerned.
Villages covered
Tenkasi district, Sankarankovil taluk: Perumpathur (27 survey numbers), Kuvalaikanni (23), Panthapuli (8), Karivalamvantha Nallur (1) and Therku Sankarankovil (1).
Tenkasi district, Veerakeralampudur taluk: Marukalankulam (1 survey number).
Tirunelveli district, Tirunelveli taluk: Manur (23 survey numbers) and Mavadi (2). Tirunelveli district, Manur taluk: Manoor (2 survey numbers). Manur and Manoor appear in the records as separate entries in different taluks, so check the taluk as well as the village name.
Virudhunagar district, Rajapalayam taluk: Solapuram (3 survey numbers).
No survey numbers in any of these villages have been recorded as withdrawn.
What to do if your land is listed
First, check the Gazette notification for your village and match the survey number and subdivision exactly against your patta, chitta and adangal. A survey number may be listed only in part, so note the extent shown in the notice.
If you are an owner, collect your title documents, patta and encumbrance certificate, and contact the land acquisition office handling highways for your district. That office can tell you the present stage, whether an award has been passed, and how compensation is being worked out for your land.
If you are buying land in any of these villages, ask the seller for the survey number and subdivision, and check them against all three notifications before you pay any advance. Land under a live acquisition notice carries a real risk that part or all of it will be taken for the road. Ask for a written answer from the revenue office, and have your lawyer record the position in the sale agreement.