What land is being acquired and where
The land is being taken for the upgrade of a state highway running through Dindigul, Erode and Tiruppur districts. This is a state road project. It is not a National Highways project, and no declaration under section 3D of the National Highways Act has been issued for it.
The notifications list 94 survey numbers spread over 15 villages. These fall in five taluks: Bhavani, Erode and Gobichettipalayam in Erode district, Dharapuram in Tiruppur district, and Ottanchatram in Dindigul district.
Being listed means some or all of that survey number is affected. The notification and its schedule will show the subdivision and extent being taken. Do not assume the whole survey number is acquired, and do not assume your portion is excluded, until you have checked the schedule.
The notices and their stage
Both notifications were issued under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001 and published in the state Gazette. The first is dated February 2018 and covers 10 villages. The second is dated March 2020 and covers 5 villages.
Under this Act, acquisition is made by a notice published under section 15(1). On publication of such a notice, the Act provides for the land to vest in the Government free from encumbrances. In practical terms, a published section 15(1) notice is not a mere proposal. It is the step by which the State takes the land.
Neither notification has been withdrawn, and neither has been corrected by a later notice according to the records available. The records here do not show whether compensation has been determined or paid, or whether possession has been taken. Those points must be confirmed with the land acquisition officer for the project or the office of the District Collector concerned.
The villages
Erode district: Odathurai in Bhavani taluk (16 survey numbers); Pulavakkalipalayam (13) and Koogaloor (7) in Gobichettipalayam taluk; Nallagoundanpalayam (4) and Chittode (3) in Erode taluk.
Dindigul district, Ottanchatram taluk: Poosaripatti (15), Ambillikai (9), Ottanchatram (3), Thangachiyammapatti (3), Kapiliyapatti (1), Kariyampatti (1) and Paruthiyur (1).
Tiruppur district, Dharapuram taluk: Varapalayam (10), Kolathupalayam (6) and Madathupalayam (2).
No survey number in any of these villages has been recorded as withdrawn from acquisition.
What to do if your land is listed
First, obtain a copy of the Gazette notification for your village and check the schedule against your patta, chitta and FMB sketch. Match the survey number, the subdivision and the extent shown.
Second, find out from the land acquisition officer or the Collectorate whether an award has been passed for your land, what compensation has been fixed, and whether it has been paid or deposited. Keep your title deeds, patta and tax receipts ready, since you will need to prove your claim.
If you are a buyer, ask the seller in writing whether any part of the property falls under these notifications, and verify it yourself from the Gazette schedule and the revenue records. Land that has vested in the Government under section 15(1) cannot be validly sold by the former owner. Take legal advice before paying any advance.