What land is being acquired and where
The land is being taken for widening the Virudhachalam to Ulundurpet Road, numbered State Highway 69. This is a state road project, so the acquisition is under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001 and not under the National Highways Act.
All the affected land lies in Vridhachalam taluk of Cuddalore district. The notices cover 34 survey numbers spread over four villages.
Most of the affected survey numbers are in Virudhachalam village, which accounts for 25 of the 34. The remaining nine are in Mangalam (K), Pallipattu and Pallipattu (Additional Ii).
The notices and their stage
Four notifications have been published in the State Gazette under the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001. They are dated 2 July 2020, 3 August 2020, 28 October 2020 and 27 October 2021.
The notice of 2 July 2020 covers two villages. Each of the other three notices covers one village. Together they cover the four villages listed below.
As per the records available, none of the four notices has been withdrawn, either fully or in part, and none has been recorded as corrected by a later notice.
Under the Act, the Government acquires land for a highway by publishing a notice under section 15(1). On publication of such a notice, the Act provides that the land vests in the Government free from encumbrances. Compensation is then determined and paid separately under the Act. These records do not show whether compensation has been determined or paid for any particular survey number, so that must be confirmed with the authorities.
Villages covered
Virudhachalam, Vridhachalam taluk, Cuddalore district: 25 survey numbers.
Mangalam (K), Vridhachalam taluk, Cuddalore district: 5 survey numbers.
Pallipattu, Vridhachalam taluk, Cuddalore district: 2 survey numbers.
Pallipattu (Additional Ii), Vridhachalam taluk, Cuddalore district: 2 survey numbers.
No other villages are covered by these four notices.
What to do if your land is listed
First, obtain a copy of the Gazette notification that covers your village and check whether your survey number and subdivision appear in its schedule. Note the extent shown against your survey number, because often only a strip of a field is taken for road widening, not the whole survey number.
Next, approach the land acquisition officer for this project, usually through the Highways Department office or the District Collectorate in Cuddalore, or the Vridhachalam taluk office. Ask whether the award has been passed for your land and what stage compensation has reached. Carry your patta, chitta, adangal extract and title deeds.
If you are buying land in these villages, do not rely only on the patta. Check the survey number against the schedules of all four notices. Land covered by a published section 15(1) notice may already stand vested in the Government, and a seller cannot pass good title to that portion.
If you believe your land has been wrongly included, or the extent is wrong, raise it in writing with the acquisition officer at the earliest and keep proof of submission. For a dispute on compensation or title, take advice from a local advocate who handles land acquisition matters.