Viscount Dilhorne J: (delivering the judgement of the Board):

By virtue of the Land Acquisition Act, 1960 , as amended by the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, 1973, the Ruler of the State of Johore-

may acquire any land which is needed

(a) for any public purpose; or

(b)by any person or corporation undertaking a work which in the opinion of the State Authority is of public utility; or

(c)for the purpose of mining or for residential, agricultural, commercial or industrial purposes," (s. 3 ).

That Act requires the State Authority, in this case the Ruler of Johore, when satisfied that any land in any locality in the State is likely to be needed for any of these purposes, to give notice of the lands likely to be needed and of the purpose for which they may be needed (s. 4 ); and when lands are needed for any of those purposes, the Collector is required to prepare and submit to the State Authority-

a plan of the whole area of such lands, showing the particular lands, or parts thereof, which it will be necessary to acquire; and" a list of such lands in a prescribed form (s. 7 ).

The plan the Collector is required to prepare is not a plan of the proposed lay-out of the a