Amit Shah likely to chair Southern Zonal Council meet on November 14 in Tirupati

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to chair the meeting of the Southern Zonal Council (SZC), scheduled to be held in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati on November 14, officials said.

Home Minister Shah will preside over the much-awaited conclave of dignitaries of southern states that include the participation of Chief Ministers from states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The meet will also be attended by the Lieutenant Governors of the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Puducherry as well as the administrator of Puducherry.

Some senior Cabinet Ministers may also take part in the day-long meeting which is expected to be held at Hotel Taj in Tirupati.

Andhra Pradesh is set to raise the issue of Special Category Status (SCS) at the Southern Zonal Council (SZC) meeting. Apart from the SCS issue, the State will also raise issues pertaining to pending dues from the Centre and from neighbouring States.

It has also been decided to raise the issue of bringing the Jurala project on Krishna in neighbouring Telangana under the purview of Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) along with a discussion on the Centre's proposal of interlinking rivers.

The zonal council meetings are held for better coordination among states and to resolve pending inter-state issues.