Thiruvananthapuram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah encouraged the southern states to look into a cooperative solution for problems including river water sharing.
He also asked that Andhra Pradesh and Telangana work together to resolve their outstanding issues in his speech at the 30th southern zonal council meeting, which was held here and attended by Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of southern states and union territories, according to an official release.
Shah called on all States of the Southern Zonal Council to explore a joint solution to the issues related to the sharing of waters, it said.
“The Union Home Minister called on all States of the Southern Zonal Council to explore a joint solution to the issues related to the sharing of waters,” it said.
Interstate river water disputes in the south include the Cauvery issue between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and Krishna river water sharing dispute involving Telangana and AP.
He said the main objectives of the Zonal Council meeting are amicable settlement of disputes between the Centre and the States and inter-State through mutual agreement, promotion of regional cooperation between states, and providing a forum for all of them to brainstorm on issues of common national importance and setting up a collaboration system for strengthening cooperation among all stakeholders.
The participating chief ministers and lieutenant governors made various demands pertaining to their states and union territories.
Shah said that for the all-around development of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put the concept of Team India before the nation and all the States together form Team India.
In today’s meet, total 26 issues were discussed, 9 issues were resolved, 17 issues were reserved for further consideration out of which 9 issues are related to reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh, an official release said.
Shah urged “Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to mutually resolve their pending issues,” it said.
The meeting was attended by the CMs of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu-- Pinarayi Vijayan, M K Stalin and Basavaraj Bommai, respectively, the LGs of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Administrator of Lakshadweep, Chief Secretaries of Southern Zonal Council States, Union Home Secretary, Secretary Inter-State Council Secretariat and other Senior officials of State and Central Ministries and Departments.
In his address, Vijayan said co-operative federalism requires continuous exchange of ideas between all the stakeholders. The zonal council meeting was for southern States and Union Territories. He asked the Centre to make the States take up what he called as productive spending to galvanise the country’s economy.
Stalin urged the Centre to create a high-speed rail corridor connecting specific locations within Tamil Nadu and to neighbouring States. Such a move would be much more economical, more energy efficient and less polluting than aeroplanes and automobiles, he contended.
Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath, who represented the state, said growth prospects of his state diminished due to loss of Hyderabad and other industrially-developed areas, consequence to the state bifurcation in 2014.
