What land is being acquired and where
The acquisition is for the Tenkasi Bypass Road, which is a state road project. The land falls entirely within Tenkasi taluk in Tenkasi district.
In all, 112 survey numbers are listed across 3 villages. Ilanji has the largest share with 60 survey numbers, Tenkasi village has 47 and Mathalamparai has 5.
The notices are published in the State Gazette. They list land by village and survey number, so an owner can check a holding by matching the survey number and subdivision in the patta and other revenue records against the notified list.
The notices, the law and the current stage
Both notices were issued under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001. This is a State law for highways in Tamil Nadu. It is separate from the National Highways Act, 1956 and from the central Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, the Government may acquire land needed for a highway by publishing a notice in the Gazette, ordinarily under section 15(1). A notice of this kind identifies the land the Government intends to take for the road. Once it is published, the listed land is treated as required for the project, and dealings in it carry that risk.
The first notification is dated 26 December 2022 and covers 2 villages. The second is dated 30 September 2024 and covers 1 village. The records available show that neither notification has been withdrawn and neither has been corrected later.
Because this is a state road, there are no declarations under section 3D of the National Highways Act, 1956 for this project. The published record does not show whether compensation awards have been passed or possession taken. Owners should confirm the present stage with the land acquisition office for the project at the Tenkasi Collectorate.
Villages covered by the Tenkasi Bypass Road acquisition
Ilanji, Tenkasi taluk, Tenkasi district: 60 survey numbers. No survey number has been withdrawn.
Tenkasi, Tenkasi taluk, Tenkasi district: 47 survey numbers. No survey number has been withdrawn.
Mathalamparai, Tenkasi taluk, Tenkasi district: 5 survey numbers. No survey number has been withdrawn.
These are the only villages in the notices. Note that Tenkasi is also the name of the taluk and the district, so check that your land is in Tenkasi village itself and not in another village of the same taluk.
What to do if your land is listed
First, get a copy of the Gazette notification for your village and compare the survey number and subdivision with your patta, chitta and adangal. A listed survey number does not always mean the whole holding is affected, so check the extent shown against each entry.
If your land is listed, keep your title documents, patta, encumbrance certificate and tax receipts ready. Compensation goes to the person whose interest is shown in the records, so make sure any pending transfer, partition or legal heir change is entered in the revenue records.
Compensation is fixed under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001 by the authority appointed for the acquisition, after an enquiry in which owners can file claims about their interest and the value of the land. Raise any dispute on extent, ownership or value at that enquiry, in writing, and keep the acknowledgement.
If you are buying land in Ilanji, Tenkasi or Mathalamparai, check the survey number against both notifications before you pay any advance. Land under a live acquisition notice should not be bought on an ordinary sale basis, and a seller cannot pass on more than the right to receive compensation.