What land is being acquired and where
The State Government is acquiring land for an industrial park to be developed by SIPCOT at Agavalam and Nedumpuli. All of the land lies in Nemili taluk of Ranipet district.
The notices together list 783 survey numbers across 3 villages. The acquisition is made under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997, a state law used for acquiring land for industrial purposes, including industrial parks.
Whether a particular field is affected depends on its survey number and subdivision, so an owner should check the notice for his village rather than rely on the village name alone.
The notices and their stage
Six notices have been published in the State Gazette. The first is dated 23 November 2021 and the latest is dated 29 March 2022. Each notice covers one village.
The notices were published on 23 November 2021, 29 November 2021, 30 November 2021, 2 December 2021, 6 December 2021 and 29 March 2022. The notice dated 29 November 2021 was later corrected, so it must be read together with its correction.
None of the six notices has been withdrawn in full. In Agavalam, 2 entries have been withdrawn, so a survey number that appeared in the original notice may since have been dropped.
Under the 1997 Act, acquisition is made by a notice under section 3(1). Before publishing it, the Government is required to give the owner and other interested persons an opportunity to show cause against the acquisition. Once the section 3(1) notice is published, the Act provides that the land vests absolutely in the Government, free from all encumbrances, from the date of publication.
The facts available here do not include the award, the payment of compensation or the handing over of possession. Those steps should be confirmed with the office of the District Collector, Ranipet, or the land acquisition officer dealing with this project.
Villages covered
Agavalam, Nemili taluk, Ranipet district: 377 survey numbers listed, of which 2 entries have been withdrawn.
Nedumpuli, Nemili taluk, Ranipet district: 362 survey numbers listed, with none withdrawn.
Agavalam Unit-4 Block-Viii, Nemili taluk, Ranipet district: 44 survey numbers listed, with none withdrawn.
These are the only villages covered by the notices for this project.
What to do if your land is listed
Obtain a copy of the Gazette notice for your village and match your survey number and subdivision exactly. Also read any correction or withdrawal published later, especially if your land is in Agavalam or is covered by the notice dated 29 November 2021.
Since the 1997 Act vests the land in the Government on publication of the notice, a listed survey number should not be treated as freely saleable. A buyer should not pay an advance or register a sale for land in these villages until the survey number has been checked against the notices.
For compensation, file your ownership documents, patta, chitta and encumbrance certificate with the land acquisition officer, and keep copies of everything you submit. Ask in writing about the status of the award and payment for your survey number.
If your land is listed in error, or if the extent shown is wrong, raise it in writing with the District Collector, Ranipet, and take advice from a lawyer familiar with land acquisition on the remedies that remain open.