What land is being acquired and where
The acquisition is for the Thiruvarur to Mayiladuthurai broad gauge conversion, a rail project. The land lies in two districts, Mayiladuthurai and Thiruvarur, and in two taluks, Mayiladuthurai and Nannilam.
In all, 18 survey numbers are covered across 2 villages. Sidharkadu accounts for 12 survey numbers and Peralam for 6.
The acquisition is being made under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997. This is a State law, so the notices appear in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette, not under the National Highways Act or as a Form IV and Form VI process under the 2013 Central Act.
The notices and their stage
Three notifications have been issued under the 1997 Act. They are dated 7 January 2022, 7 June 2022 and 18 November 2022. Each one covers a single village.
Under the 1997 Act, the principal step is a notice under section 3(1), by which the Government states its intention to acquire specified land for the stated purpose. The Act gives the owner and any person interested an opportunity to show cause before the acquisition is finalised. On completion of that process and publication, the land vests in the Government.
None of the three notifications has been withdrawn, and none is recorded as corrected later. The records available here do not show whether possession has been taken or whether compensation has been paid. Those points must be confirmed with the land acquisition office of the concerned District Collectorate.
Villages in the notices
Sidharkadu village, Mayiladuthurai taluk, Mayiladuthurai district: 12 survey numbers, none withdrawn.
Peralam village, Nannilam taluk, Thiruvarur district: 6 survey numbers, none withdrawn.
These are the only two villages in the notices. Since there are three notifications and two villages, one village appears in more than one notification. Read every notification for your village, not only the first one you find.
What to do if your land is listed
First, obtain a copy of each Gazette notification for your village and match the survey number and subdivision exactly against your patta, chitta and adangal. A survey number may be only partly affected, so check the extent stated against each subdivision.
If you wish to object or show cause, do so in writing within the time stated in the notice, addressed to the authority named in it. Keep proof of submission. Attend any hearing you are called to and carry title documents, the patta and the encumbrance certificate.
For compensation, keep your title chain, tax receipts and evidence of any structures, trees or wells ready. Tamil Nadu has brought acquisitions under this Act within a schedule of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, so that compensation is determined in line with the principles of that Act. The actual award for your land will come only from the acquisition authority.
If you are buying land in Sidharkadu or Peralam, check the survey number against all three notifications before paying any advance. Land under acquisition may vest in the Government, and a sale deed in your favour will not protect you against that.