The Land Acquisition Act, 1894 aims to set out the circumstances and the purposes for which private land can be acquired by the Central/State Government.

Suppose the government wants to acquire my land. What is the first step that it would take?

The very first thing the government would have to do is to publish a notice that the land in question is needed or may be needed in the foreseeable future for a public purpose or for a company.

This does not mean that your land is definitely going to be acquired.

This notice only enables the government to survey your land to find out whether it is suitable for the purpose in mind.

This notice should be published in two daily newspapers, one of which must be a regional language daily, which circulate in the locality where the land to be acquired is situated.

This notice is not given individually. It is a public notice. The summary of such a notice is placed on or near the land to be acquired, and also at a public place where everybody can see and read it.

What does this notification mean?

At this stage there is no change in ownership of the land. The notice does not prevent you from selling your land, provided you obtain the collectors permission before doing so. However, if someone were to buy this land from you, or accept it as security against a loan without the Collectors permission, the government would not pay him any compensation.

Can government officials enter my notified property?

After the notice is issued, the government can send an officer to survey any land in the locality specified in the notice without your permission. Such officers can dig, bore into the sub soil, or if necessary cut down and clear away any standing crops, fence or jungle. They can also set out the boundaries of the land to be acquired.