MADURAI: The Land Acquisition Department in Madurai district is unable to locate 558 patta owners whose land was acquired for the widening of the Thirumangalam-Vadugapatti stretch of the National Highway-744. These patta owners are from six villages: Karisalpatti, Melakottai, T Andipatti, Pudupatti and Tirapatti near Thirumangalam in Madurai.
These landowners have to pay compensation totalling `6.62 crore though 613 patta owners were paid a total compensation of `44.18 cr.
The former remain unreachable despite multiple notices issued over the past 18 months. Revenue officials say it is difficult to trace them as records bear only their name, but neither addresses or contact numbers.
After the project was initiated in 2023, the land acquisition department acquired parcels of land from 1,171 patta owners after issuing notices, show official data.
Land parcels of about 100-450 square feet were acquired along the NH-744 for over 36 kilometres in length in 22 villages. Local revenue staff in Thirumangalam said, “The lands acquired for the projects are small parcels ranging from 200-400 ft along the national highway in many villages.
While the majority have received compensation, a few hundred are yet to get it. For example, around 10-20 patta owners from Melkote village are yet to receive the compensation.
“Here, some of the patta owners have died, and the piece of land is yet to be divided among the legal heirs. As the undivided property should be legally settled between the heirs, they are yet to receive compensation. More importantly, we have just the names of the patta owner, but addresses or mobile numbers are missing on patta documents, title deeds or sale deeds alone.”
Speaking to TNIE, former Karisalpatti Panchayat President C Kottur said, “Many from our panchayat have received compensation, but there has been no response yet from more than two dozen patta owners who are outsiders who bought these lands as an investment.”
“When the NH-widening project was initiated, 1-2 cents under the survey numbers 1,5, 29, 31 and 36 were acquired. Interestingly, these parcels of land had been sold and bought by many parties since 2015. In 2019, new buyers bought these lands, and they aren’t reachable,” Kottur explained.
A top official from Special Tahsildar Office, Land acquisition (Madurai), told TNIE, “We wish all the patta owners whose land were acquired for the project benefit. In a few days we will be issuing notices and advertisements in national newspapers to seek the attention of the patta owners.
Later, we will hold a review meeting. The final decision on either handing over the sum to the local treasury or the office of the Land acquisition Division in Chennai will be taken.”