What land is being acquired and where
The acquisition is for the Thoothukudi to Madurai New Railway Line, a rail project. The notified lands are all in Ottapidaram taluk of Thoothukkudi district.
In total, 128 survey numbers are covered across 3 villages. The records available to us show no further villages beyond these three.
The State has chosen the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997 for this project. It has not used the 2013 central Act's Form IV and Form VI procedure, and it has not used the National Highways Act.
The notices and their stage
Two notifications have been published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette. The first, dated 28 June 2017, covers 2 villages. The second, dated 14 September 2017, covers 1 village.
Neither notification has been withdrawn, wholly or in part, and neither has been corrected by a later notice.
Under the 1997 Act, the main notice is issued under section 3(1). It states that the Government has decided to acquire the land for the stated purpose. Before that notice is issued, the Act requires the owner and other interested persons to be given an opportunity to show cause against the acquisition.
Once a section 3(1) notice is published, the Act provides that the land vests in the Government free from encumbrances. If these notifications are section 3(1) notices, the land is in law already Government land, and the remaining step for the owner is compensation. Confirm the exact section of each notification from the Gazette copy or the acquisition office.
These records do not show whether compensation has been determined or paid, or whether possession has been taken. Ask the Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition) or the District Revenue Officer handling the project in Thoothukkudi.
Villages covered and survey number counts
Valasamuthiram, Ottapidaram taluk: 52 survey numbers notified, none withdrawn.
Therku Veerapandiapuram, Ottapidaram taluk: 50 survey numbers notified, none withdrawn.
Sillanaththam, Ottapidaram taluk: 26 survey numbers notified, none withdrawn.
Inclusion of a survey number does not always mean the whole field is taken. A notification often lists subdivisions or a part extent. Compare your patta, chitta and FMB sketch against the extent stated in the Gazette.
What to do if your land is listed
Get a certified copy of the Gazette notification for your village and check your survey number, subdivision and extent against your title papers.
Write to the land acquisition office for the project and ask three things: the section under which your land was notified, whether an award has been passed, and whether compensation has been deposited or paid.
Compensation under the 1997 Act is fixed by the authorised officer after an enquiry into ownership and claims. Tamil Nadu has made the compensation principles of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 applicable to acquisitions under this Act. Confirm with the acquisition office how this applies to your file.
If you are buying land in Valasamuthiram, Therku Veerapandiapuram or Sillanaththam, check the survey number against these notifications before you pay any advance. Land that has vested in the Government cannot pass to you through a sale by the earlier owner. Take an Encumbrance Certificate, and also ask the taluk office for a written statement on acquisition.