NELLORE: The temple town of Tirupati is being fortified in view of the visit of a host of VVIP’s including Union minister of home affairs and minister of cooperation Amit Shah to take part in the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council (SZC) scheduled to be held on Sunday, in Tirupati.
The council comprises the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The zonal councils take up issues involving the Centre and the states and one or many states falling in the Zone. The Zonal Councils, thus, provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between the Centre and states in the zone.
The Zonal Councils discuss a broad range of issues which include boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure-related matters like road, transport, industries, water, and power etc., matters pertaining to forests and environment, housing, education, food security, tourism and transport etc. Five Zonal Councils were set up in the year 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
Union home minister is the chairman of each of these 5 Zonal Councils and Chief Ministers of the host state (to be chosen by rotation every year) is the vice-chairman. Two more ministers from each state are nominated as members by the Governor.
The participants in Sunday’s meet include Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors of Union Territories. AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy will receive the home minister at Renigunta Airport at 7.45 pm.
As in-charge minister of Chittoor district, industries minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy will receive other dignitaries. The home minister is also scheduled to take part in a few programmes along with Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu at Swarna Bharat Trust in Nellore on Sunday.
Meanwhile, SPSR Nellore district superintendent of police, Ch Vijaya Rao, reviewed the security arrangements for the home minister’s visit to Nellore on Saturday. DGP Goutham Sawang inspected the venue of the meeting at the Taj Hotel in Tirupati and elicited information on security arrangements.
According to a press release, the Southern Zonal Council meeting will commence with the welcome address by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy at 3.05 pm on Sunday. Thereafter, other VVIP’s representing different southern states will address the gathering. The home minister will commence item-wise discussion on agenda between 3.52 pm to 5.45 pm.
