What land is being acquired and where
The Udangudi Power Project is a power project. The land acquisition records for it cover one village, Udangudi, in Tiruchendur taluk of Thoothukkudi district.
In total, 84 survey numbers in Udangudi village appear in the acquisition notification. The records list no other village and no other taluk or district for this project.
Only the survey numbers named in the notification are affected. A survey number that is not listed is not covered by this notification, even if it lies close to the project site.
The notice, the law and its stage
One notification was published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette on 17 June 2013. It was issued under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997. This was both the first and the latest notice recorded for the project.
The 1997 Act allows the State Government to acquire land that it needs for an industrial purpose. Under section 3(2), the owner and other interested persons must first be called upon to show cause against the proposed acquisition. The Government then acquires the land by publishing a notice under section 3(1) in the Gazette.
Under section 4 of the 1997 Act, once the section 3(1) notice is published, the land vests absolutely in the Government, free from all encumbrances. This is different from the 2013 Act, which uses a separate preliminary notification and a later declaration.
The records show that this notification has not been withdrawn, and no later correction is recorded against it. The records do not show whether possession has been taken or whether compensation has been paid for each survey number. Those facts must be confirmed with the revenue authorities.
Villages covered
Udangudi, in Tiruchendur taluk, Thoothukkudi district, is the only village in the acquisition records for this project. All 84 survey numbers are in this village.
None of the Udangudi survey numbers is recorded as withdrawn from the acquisition.
What to do if your land is listed
First, compare your patta, chitta and adangal with the survey numbers and subdivisions printed in the 17 June 2013 Gazette notification. Check the subdivision as well as the main survey number, because often only part of a survey number is notified.
If your land is listed, it is treated as vested in the Government from the date the notice was published. A private sale of that land after the notice does not give the buyer good title against the Government.
Compensation under the 1997 Act is decided by the authority named in the Act, not by agreement between private parties. To learn whether an award has been passed, the amount fixed, and whether it has been paid or deposited, apply to the land acquisition officer concerned or the Tiruchendur taluk office. You can also use a Right to Information application.
If you are buying land in Udangudi village, ask for an encumbrance certificate, check the current revenue records, and get a written statement from the revenue office that the survey number is not in the acquisition notification. Do this before you pay any advance.