Chennai, Aug 19 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Chennai on Wednesday night to chair the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting at Kovalam near Chennai on Thursday, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay serving as vice-chairman.
HM Shah landed at Chennai airport around 9 p.m. and was received by Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran, senior party leaders Pon Radhakrishnan and Vanathi Srinivasan, among others.
Former Ministers Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy, O.S. Manian and N. Thalavai Sundaram represented the AIADMK, while School Education Minister Rajmohan welcomed him on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government.
The Union Home Minister later travelled to a star hotel near Mamallapuram, where he was received by CM Vijay. It was Vijay’s first meeting with HM Shah after taking oath as Chief Minister.
The Southern Zonal Council meeting, organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, will be held for about four hours from 10 a.m. on Thursday.
The Tamil Nadu government is hosting this edition of the conference.
Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are expected to participate, along with representatives of Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. Lieutenant Governors, Administrators and two Ministers from each member State or Union Territory will also attend.
The Council, a statutory body constituted under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, is expected to discuss issues of common concern to the southern States, including inter-State coordination, development and security. Its recommendations are advisory.
Tamil Nadu will also be represented by Energy Resources and Law Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar and School Education Minister Rajmohan as Council members. Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar and Additional Chief Secretary for Home, Prohibition and Excise K. Manivasan will participate as adviser and second adviser, respectively.
Former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan welcomed HM Shah and recalled attending an earlier Council meeting as Lieutenant Governor. She expressed confidence that the deliberations would strengthen cooperative federalism and contribute to the development of the southern States.
Officials said the discussions would focus on resolving pending regional matters through consultation and closer cooperation among governments. HM Shah is scheduled to leave Chennai around 5.40 p.m. on Thursday after the meeting.
–IANS
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