Each tribal family will get up to 10 acres of land Revenue Minister to hand over documents to families in Kannampady settlement 128 tribal settlements in Idukki district KATTAPPANA: Minister for Revenue K.P. Rajendran will on Thursday hand over land documents, under the Forest Rights Act 2006, to 306 Adivasi families living in the Kannampady settlement area inside the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the first phase of issuing land documents under the Act in the Peerumade taluk. Out of the 10 settlements in the area, families in Memary, Punnapara and Kannampady will be given land documents in the first phase. The documents will be distributed to those in the other settlements as per the completion of official works, K. Gopalan, Deputy Collector, Implementation and Recognition of Forest Rights Act, told The Hindu on Wednesday. Each family will be eligible to get rights over up to 10 acres of land. Issuing land documents to the tribals is a move in the direction of bringing in basic facilities in the forest settlement areas. Power connection has already been given to the Kannampady settlement area. Under the Act, tribals can make houses of their choice using the trees planted by them. Thirteen infrastructure facilities, including electricity, roads, anganwadis and hospitals are recognised under the Act. The tribal administration has been given the right to cut trees for building the recognised facilities in the settlement areas. The tribal communities will have all the rights in the forest land, except the right to sell it, said a senior official at the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary. The Revenue Department had already issued tribal status certificate to nearly 600 families. The survey team had demarcated the land area belonging to the families for issuing the documents. The land document is being issued jointly by the Departments of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare, Forest and Revenue. There are 128 tribal settlements in the district.