What land is being acquired and where
The project is a railway doubling between Vanchi Maniyachi and Nagercoil. Land is needed along the route to lay the second line.
The notified lands lie in two districts. In Tirunelveli district they are in Nanguneri, Palayamkottai, Radhapuram and Tirunelveli taluks. In Kanniyakumari district they are in Agasteeswaram and Thovalai taluks.
In all, 920 survey numbers in 31 villages appear in the notices. The figure counts survey numbers, not whole fields. A notice often takes only part of a survey number or subdivision, so read the extent shown against your number.
The notices, the law and their stage
Every notice for this project was issued under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997 and published in the State Gazette. This is a State law. The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 and the National Highways Act do not govern these notices.
Under section 3(1) of the 1997 Act, the Government serves notice on the owner and on any other person interested, asking them to show cause, within 30 days of service, why the land should not be acquired. After considering the cause shown, the Government may pass an order under section 3(2) acquiring the land. When that order is published in the Gazette, the land vests in the Government free from all encumbrances.
The records show 17 notifications. The first is dated 11 March 2022 and the latest is dated 9 December 2024. Fifteen were issued in 2022 and two in 2024. Each notice covers between one and four villages.
None of the 17 notices has been withdrawn, in full or in part. One notice, dated 23 March 2022, was corrected by a later notification. If your land falls in that notice, read the correction together with the original, because it may change the survey numbers, extents or names shown.
The records describe these as notifications under the Act but do not say, for each one, which section it was issued under. Do not assume your land has, or has not, vested in the Government. Check the Gazette text for your village, or ask the Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition) for the project.
Villages covered
Tirunelveli district, Nanguneri taluk: Poolam Part-Ii (55 survey numbers), Marukalkurichi (45), Thalapathisamudram Part-Ii (44), Nanguneri (36), Karanthaneri (35), Vilvarayankulam (12), Poolam (10) and Therku Nanguneri (4).
Tirunelveli district, Palayamkottai taluk: Tharuvai (87), Keel Veera Ragava Puram (50), Chengulam (23), Melapalayam (22) and Melanatham (15).
Tirunelveli district, Radhapuram taluk: Perunkudi (78) and Thandaiyar Kulam (13).
Tirunelveli district, Tirunelveli taluk: Alangaperi (31), Gangaikondan Part-Ii (27), Alaganeri (7), Thatchanallur (6), Naranammalpuram Part-1 (5), Gangaikondan Part-I (3), Chatram Pudukulam (2) and Pirayankulam (1).
Kanniyakumari district, Agasteeswaram taluk: Vadiveeswaram East (116), Vadeveeswaram North (30), Theroor (28), Nagercoil North (27), Ramapuram (25) and Therekalputhoor (22).
Kanniyakumari district, Thovalai taluk: Veeramarthandanputhoor (60) and Aralvoimozhi North (1).
Vadiveeswaram East has the largest number of survey numbers. Aralvoimozhi North and Pirayankulam have one each. No survey number in any of these villages has been withdrawn.
What to do if your land is listed
Compare your patta, chitta and A register extract with the Gazette notice for your village. Match the survey number and subdivision exactly, and note the extent proposed to be taken.
If you were served a notice under section 3(1) and the show cause period is still open, file your written objection with the officer named in the notice and keep proof of filing. If the period has passed, take advice before you act.
Compensation is not fixed in the notice. Following a 2019 State amendment, compensation for acquisitions under this Act is to be determined in line with the First Schedule of the 2013 Act. The award for your land is passed by the land acquisition officer. Confirm the award, the amount and the payment position for your survey number with the Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition) or the District Collectorate.
Keep your title documents, encumbrance certificate and bank details ready, so that any payment is made to the person who is actually entitled.
Buyers should check every survey number against these notices before paying an advance. Land under a published acquisition order vests in the Government, and a sale by the former owner will not pass good title to that portion.