Taking possession
16.
—(1) When the Collector has made an award under section 10, he may take possession of the land by posting thereupon an appropriate notice.
(2) Upon taking possession of the land under subsection (1), the Collector shall also serve a copy of the notice upon the persons interested in the land.
17.
—(1) In cases of urgency, whenever the Minister directs him to do so, the Collector, though no such award had been made, may on the expiration of 7 days from the later of the date of the notice published under section 8(1) or the date of the notice served under section 8(2), take possession of any land needed for any of the purposes specified in section 5(1).
[Act 2 of 2012 wef 01/03/2012]
(2) The Minister may, in his discretion, direct the Collector to take immediate possession of any land which is intended to be acquired under the provisions of this Act without the publication of a notification under section 5(1); but such a notification shall be published not later than 7 days after the Collector has taken possession of the land.
18. Immediately on taking possession of any land under section 16 or 17, the Collector shall —
(a)
in the case of land registered under the provisions of the Registration of Deeds Act [Cap. 269], give notice to the Registrar of Deeds who shall make an entry in the books of the registry that the land has vested in the State, and upon that entry being made, the land shall vest in the State free from encumbrances; or
(b)
in the case of land registered under the provisions of the Land Titles Act [Cap. 157], lodge in accordance with section 143(2) of that Act, an instrument of acquisition with the Registrar of Titles who shall, upon a request by the Collector, endorse on the relevant folio of the land register a notification to the effect that the land has become vested in the State as State land free from encumbrances and has ceased to be subject to the provisions of the Land Titles Act, and upon that endorsement being made, the land shall vest in the State free from encumbrances.