Land Acquisition Compensation Advisory
Vizhinjam, Outer Ring Road, NH-66 and the industrial corridors
Kerala is acquiring more private land in 2026–2028 than in the previous decade — around Vizhinjam port, along the capital’s Outer Ring Road and rail link, at the Kochi–Bengaluru corridor nodes and on the last stretches of NH-66. We represent the landowner.
If your land is being acquired in Kerala, compensation under the 2013 Act is the market value (the higher of fair value and recent sale prices) times the state’s rural multiplier, plus buildings and trees, plus 100% solatium, plus 12% a year interest from the SIA notification, plus rehabilitation entitlements. You can object within 60 days of the preliminary notification, argue the valuation at the award enquiry, and seek enhancement from the LARR Authority within six weeks of the award. J Group Consultancy represents owners at every stage — SIA hearing to reference — across Kerala, including the Vizhinjam, Outer Ring Road, rail-link and corridor acquisitions, from our Ernakulam office.
Reviewed 19 September 2026 by J Group Consultancy, Ernakulam. Rules and timelines change by government order — confirm the current position with us before acting.
Acquisitions under way in Kerala (September 2026)
| Project | Land | Stage | What owners face |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vizhinjam port Phase 2 and port-led industry | ~230 acres at Kottukal, Maranallur and Amaravila (Thiruvananthapuram); ₹810 crore sanctioned | Cabinet approval March 2026; RFCTLARR process | Valuation of coastal and NH-adjacent land; fishing-community R&R; partial acquisitions leaving unusable remainders |
| Vizhinjam–Balaramapuram rail link | Corridor through Kottukal–Balaramapuram villages | Social Impact Assessment report published (Reach 2) | SIA hearing objections; severance of plots; house relocation |
| Vizhinjam–Navaikulam Outer Ring Road (NH 866) | 62.7 km, ~282 hectares across Venganur, Kalliyur, Pallichal, Malayinkeezh, Maranallur, Kattakkada, Poovachal, Aruvikkara, Karakulam, Pothencode, Andoorkonam, Mangalapuram and others | Fresh preliminary notification for 260 ha, August 2026; KIIFB-funded land cost | Access-controlled road — no frontage value for the remainder; service-road promises; multiplier disputes on rural land |
| Kochi–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor | Palakkad node 1,540 ha (82% acquired); GIFT City Ayyampuzha node (Ernakulam) under 11(1) notification | Balance acquisition and R&R | Consent-based purchase vs acquisition; plantation and paddy classification issues |
| NH-66 widening | Balance parcels and bypasses statewide | Awards passed; disputes on extent and valuation | Under-recorded extents after resurvey; CALA claims and arbitration |
| Sabarimala greenfield airport | 2,570 acres at Cheruvally (Pathanamthitta) | Acquisition quashed by Kerala High Court, 19 Dec 2025 — fresh SIA required | Watch for the new notification; document the current use and value now |
Sources: Kerala cabinet decision of 13 March 2026 (Swarajya), Thiruvananthapuram district notifications, Malayala Manorama (20 Aug 2026), Kerala Kaumudi, channeliam.com (18 Aug 2026), Onmanorama (3 Mar 2026), The Statesman (Dec 2025). Stages change monthly — ask us for the current position on a specific survey number.
What the 2013 Act says you are owed
- Market value (Section 26). The highest of: the fair value used for stamp duty, the average of the top 50% of registered sale prices for similar land in the nearest village over the previous three years, or the price agreed in any consented acquisition. Sale deeds in your own village from the last three years are therefore your most important evidence — we pull them from the Sub-Registrar’s records.
- Multiplier (Section 28). Rural land is multiplied by the factor the state government has notified (between 1 and 2 depending on distance from the urban area); urban land is not multiplied. Whether a Thiruvananthapuram panchayat counts as “rural” is itself arguable and worth arguing.
- Assets (Section 29). Buildings at replacement cost, trees and standing crops at their income value, wells, fences and borewells — each valued separately by the PWD, Agriculture and Forest departments. Missed items are the most common under-payment.
- Solatium and interest (Section 30). 100% solatium on the market value plus assets; 12% a year on the market value from the date of the SIA notification until the award or possession, whichever is earlier; 9% a year on unpaid compensation after possession, rising to 15% after a year.
- Rehabilitation and resettlement. House or house-site for displaced families, subsistence allowance, transport and resettlement allowances, and employment or annuity where the project provides it; agricultural labourers and tenants qualify without owning land.
- Tax. Compensation for agricultural land and the solatium are generally exempt from income tax under Section 96 of the 2013 Act; interest is taxable; TDS may still be deducted and has to be reclaimed. We coordinate this with your chartered accountant.
Where you can act, and by when
- 01
Social Impact Assessment (Sections 4–8)
A public hearing in the affected village. Put on record the actual use of the land, the buildings and trees, the effect on the remainder and any alternative alignment. The SIA report is what the Sabarimala airport acquisition was quashed for lacking — it matters.
- 02
Preliminary notification (Section 11) — 60 days
Gazette and newspaper publication and a notice to each owner. File written objections to the Collector within 60 days (Section 15): public purpose, extent, alignment, the remainder becoming unusable, and the valuation basis. A personal hearing follows.
- 03
Declaration (Section 19) and award enquiry (Section 21–23)
After the declaration the Collector invites claims for compensation. This is where the sale-deed evidence, valuation reports and asset inventories are filed. Attend the enquiry; an owner who does not claim rarely gets the assets valued fully.
- 04
Award (Section 23) and possession
The award states the extent taken and the amount. Accept it under protest if you intend to seek enhancement. Compensation is paid before possession; interest runs until then.
- 05
Reference to the LARR Authority (Section 64) — six weeks
Apply to the Collector for a reference within six weeks of the award (or of the notice, if you were absent). The Authority re-determines the amount; its order goes to the High Court on appeal. For NH Act acquisitions the equivalent is arbitration under Section 3G, with a further challenge under the Arbitration Act.
Representation for landowners, not for acquirers
Survey-number watch
Tell us your survey numbers and we track SIA notices, 11(1) and 19(1) notifications and award dates for those villages, so no window is missed.
Valuation evidence
Registered sale deeds from the last three years, fair-value revisions, asset inventories with photographs, and a licensed valuer’s report where the amounts justify it.
Objections and hearings
Drafting Section 15 objections and SIA submissions; attending the hearings and the award enquiry with you or as your PoA holder.
Remainder and severance
Arguing for acquisition of the whole plot where the remainder is left unusable, and for service-road access and compensation for loss of frontage on access-controlled roads.
Enhancement
Section 64 references and NH Act arbitration with your advocate; settlement negotiations where the acquirer offers a consented price.
After the award
Mutation of the remaining land, resurvey correction, tax and TDS on the award, and — if you want to reinvest — title-checked land through our properties portal.
We advise landowners only. We do not act for project proponents or acquiring agencies in the same acquisition.
Questions about land acquisition in Kerala
How is land acquisition compensation calculated in Kerala?
Under the Right to Fair Compensation Act, 2013: the market value (the highest of the stamp-duty/fair value, the average of the top half of registered sale prices for similar land in the area over the last three years, or an agreed consented price), multiplied by the rural multiplier the state has notified (urban land is not multiplied), plus the value of buildings, trees, wells and crops, plus 100% solatium on all of that, plus 12% a year interest on the market value from the Social Impact Assessment notification until the award or possession. Rehabilitation and resettlement entitlements come on top.
Can I object to my land being acquired for the Outer Ring Road or the port?
Yes, at two points: during the Social Impact Assessment public hearing, and within 60 days of the Section 11 preliminary notification by written objection to the Collector (Section 15), where you can question the public purpose, the extent taken, the alignment and the valuation. After the declaration the objection shifts to the amount — at the award enquiry and then by a reference to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Authority.
I think the award is too low. What is the time limit to challenge it?
Apply to the Collector in writing for a reference to the LARR Authority under Section 64 — within six weeks of the award if you were present when it was made, otherwise within six weeks of receiving the notice or six months of the award, whichever ends first. The Authority can enhance the compensation; its order is appealable to the High Court. Accepting the amount “under protest” keeps the right to a reference alive.
NHAI took more land than it paid for. Is that fixable?
It happens more than people expect — the Kasaragod NH-66 cases reported in March 2026 involved families whose remaining extent after the resurvey was one to two cents less than the award assumed. The route is a claim before the Competent Authority (CALA) with the resurvey and deed evidence, then the District Court or arbitration under the NH Act. The digital resurvey record is the key document; see /services/real-estate/digital-resurvey.
Do NRIs get the same compensation, and can they be represented?
Yes — ownership, not residence, decides entitlement. An NRI owner can object, attend hearings and receive the award through a Power of Attorney holder; compensation is credited to the NRO account. Interest and solatium are taxable in a particular way and the TDS on the award needs handling — we coordinate that with your chartered accountant.
Which projects in Kerala are acquiring land right now?
Thiruvananthapuram: Vizhinjam port Phase 2 and port-led industrial land (about 230 acres at Kottukal, Maranallur and Amaravila), the Vizhinjam–Balaramapuram rail link, and the Vizhinjam–Navaikulam Outer Ring Road (about 282 hectares across 13 panchayats). Ernakulam and Palakkad: the Kochi–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor nodes at Ayyampuzha and Palakkad. Across the coast: NH-66 balance parcels and compensation disputes. The Sabarimala airport acquisition was quashed by the High Court in December 2025 and must start again with a fresh Social Impact Assessment.
Is your land in a notification?
Send the survey number, village and any notice you have received. We tell you the stage, the deadline that applies to you and what the compensation should look like — before you sign anything.