What land is being acquired for the Valangaiman Town Bypass
The Valangaiman Town Bypass is a state road project. The land for it is being acquired under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, and the notices have been published in the Tamil Nadu state Gazette.
The notices cover 175 survey numbers spread over 7 villages. Two of these villages are in Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district. The other five are in Valangaiman taluk of Thiruvarur district.
Because this is a state road, it does not follow the National Highways Act procedure. There are no section 3D declarations for this project, and none would be expected under the state Act.
The notices and their stage
Seven notices have been issued in all. Six are acquisition notifications dated 25 October 2021, 28 February 2022, 25 April 2022, 12 May 2022, 16 May 2022 and 25 May 2022. The seventh is an errata dated 21 June 2023.
The first notification of 25 October 2021 covers 3 villages. Each of the other notifications, and the errata, relates to one village.
The notification of 12 May 2022 was later corrected. If your land falls in the village covered by that notification, read it together with the correction, because the survey numbers or extents may have changed.
None of the seven notices has been fully withdrawn. The latest notice on record is the errata of 21 June 2023.
Under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, the Government acquires land needed for a highway by publishing a notice in the Gazette, after giving owners an opportunity to show cause against the proposal. Once the acquisition notice is published, the land is treated as taken for the highway, and the question that remains for the owner is compensation. These records do not show whether awards have been passed or whether compensation has been paid, so the present position on the ground must be confirmed with the authorities.
Villages covered by the acquisition
In Kumbakonam taluk, Thanjavur district: Visalur, with 52 survey numbers, and Thillaiyambur, with 14 survey numbers.
In Valangaiman taluk, Thiruvarur district: Melavidayal, with 35 survey numbers; Semmangudi, with 26; Valangaiman, with 23; Thozhuvur, with 20; and Sithanvazhur, with 5.
Visalur has the largest number of affected survey numbers, followed by Melavidayal. No survey numbers have been withdrawn in any of these villages. There are no other villages in the notices beyond these seven.
What to do if your land is listed
Check the exact survey number and subdivision against the Gazette notice for your village. A matching survey number does not always mean the whole field is affected, because many notices take only a part of a subdivision. Note the extent shown against your number.
If your village is the one covered by the notification of 12 May 2022, also obtain the correction to that notification and check whether your survey number or extent was changed.
For compensation and the stage of the award, approach the land acquisition office handling the project, usually the Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition) for highways, or the Highways Department division concerned. Keep your patta, chitta, adangal, title deeds and Encumbrance Certificate ready, as these are needed to prove your claim.
If you are buying land in any of these villages, ask the seller for the survey number and subdivision, and check them against all seven notices before you pay any advance. Land that has been notified for the bypass cannot be bought with a clear title for that portion, and the compensation will go to the person entitled under the acquisition records.