Chennai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting at a private star hotel in Kovalam near Mamallapuram, with leaders and senior officials from southern states discussing inter-state disputes, security and development priorities.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, the council’s vice-chairman, personally welcomed HM Shah on his arrival. The two leaders held a brief interaction before the proceedings began.
CM Vijay was seated beside Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during the meeting.
Representatives from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana attended the conference.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan and Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka were among those present.
Puducherry CM N. Rangasamy did not attend, while Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan represented the Union Territory.
The Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials from Lakshadweep and senior administrative officers from the participating states and union territories also attended.
The council meeting and the standing committee session were scheduled to continue until 1.30 p.m. Long-pending river-water and boundary disputes were expected to figure prominently in the deliberations. These included the Cauvery and Krishna water-sharing disputes, Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam and concerns surrounding the Mullaperiyar dam.
Tamil Nadu was also likely to raise the recent shooting of three Tamil men near the Karnataka border and seek improved coordination between the two states.
Delimitation and its possible implications for southern states were likely to be discussed.
The broader agenda included strengthening inter-state cooperation, internal security, economic growth, industrial investment, education and healthcare.
The participants were also likely to examine a proposal to establish special fast-track courts for the speedy disposal of cases involving sexual offences against women and children.
The zonal councils were created to promote dialogue between the Union and State governments and to resolve regional issues through consultation.
Officials said the Kovalam meeting was intended to strengthen administrative coordination and advance cooperative federalism. The conference also provides participating governments an opportunity to place state-specific concerns before the Union government and seek coordinated solutions to disputes that have remained unresolved for years.
The officials said discussions would focus on practical mechanisms for follow-up, including regular exchanges among departments and faster implementation of decisions jointly accepted by the participating governments and administrations.
(IANS)
