What land is being acquired and where
The land is being acquired for widening the Tiruchendur to Ambasamudram Road, which is State Highway 40. This is a state road project, so the acquisition is done by the State Government under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001. It is not a National Highways Act acquisition, and no section 3D declaration under that Act has been issued for this project.
The notices cover 475 survey numbers in 21 villages. The villages fall in two districts, Thoothukkudi and Tirunelveli, and in five taluks: Tiruchendur, Srivaikundam and Eral in Thoothukkudi district, and Cheranmahadevi and Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli district.
A notice usually covers only part of a survey number, often a strip along the existing road. The listing of a survey number does not by itself mean the whole field or plot is being taken. The extent of each subdivision is given in the schedule to the notice.
The notices and their stage
In all, 17 notifications have been published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001. The first is dated 14 February 2020 and the latest is dated 5 June 2024.
Seven notifications were issued in 2020, six in 2021, one in 2022 and three in 2024. Each notification covers between one and three villages. None of the 17 notifications has been withdrawn in full, and none is recorded as corrected later.
Under the Act, the Government acquires land for a highway by a notice under section 15(1). Before that notice, the owner and other interested persons are to be given an opportunity to show cause against the acquisition. Once a section 15(1) notice is published, the Act provides that the land vests in the Government free from encumbrances. The exact section under which each gazette notification was issued is stated in the notification itself, and an owner should read their own notice to see which step it records.
Compensation is not fixed by the notice. It is determined afterwards by the authority appointed under the Act, through an award. The facts available for this page do not include any award, rate or payment status, so these should be confirmed with the land acquisition office for the stretch concerned.
Villages covered, by taluk
Thoothukkudi district, Tiruchendur taluk: Keela Tiruchendur (94 survey numbers), Mela Tiruchendur (27), Kanam (23), Ammanpuram (12) and Kandasamypuram (4).
Thoothukkudi district, Srivaikundam taluk: Kongarayakurichi (81) and Srivaikuntam (35).
Thoothukkudi district, Eral taluk: Thenthiruperai Cusba (48), Kurukattur (44), Rajapathy (19), Angamangalam (6) and Thenthirupperai (4).
Tirunelveli district, Cheranmahadevi taluk: Kolumadai (40), Omanallur (8), Pirancheri (8), Cheran Kovil Pathu (7), Chokkalingapuram (6), South Veeranallur (3), Pathamadai (2) and Kooniyur (1).
Tirunelveli district, Ambasamudram taluk: Vellankuli (3).
Thenthiruperai Cusba and Thenthirupperai appear as two separate revenue villages in the notices. Check which one your patta names before you rely on either list.
What to do if your land is listed
First, match your survey number and subdivision exactly against the schedule in the notice for your village. Compare the extent shown in the notice with the extent in your patta and FMB sketch. If only part of the land is taken, note what remains.
Second, collect your title papers: sale deeds, patta, chitta, adangal, encumbrance certificate and any legal heirship or partition documents. Compensation is paid to the person whose title is accepted, so gaps in the chain of title cause delay.
Third, contact the land acquisition office or the Highways Department office for the stretch concerned. Ask whether an award has been passed for your survey number, what extent and value were recorded, and when the compensation enquiry will be held. Attend the enquiry and file your claim in writing.
If you are buying land in any of these villages, check the gazette notices for the survey number before you pay an advance. Land that has vested in the Government under a section 15(1) notice cannot be validly sold by the former owner. Ask the seller in writing whether any part of the property is notified, and get your lawyer to verify it independently.