Meeting of Northern Zonal Council chaired by Amit Shah begins

Chandigarh, Sep 20: The meeting of the Northern Zonal Council chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah began here on Friday morning. The grouping comprises Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is the vice-chairman and host of the meeting.

The zonal councils discuss a broad range of issues, including boundary disputes, security, infrastructure-related matters such as roads, transport, industries, water and power, besides matters pertaining to forests and environment, housing, education, food security, tourism and transport.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is also present at the meeting, said it would discuss and deliberate on issues involving the Centre and the northern states.

The meeting, being held at a hotel here, began immediately after Shah arrived. The meeting of the zonal council was last held in Chandigarh on May 12, 2017. Five zonal councils were set up in 1957 under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

The Union home minister is the chairman of each of these five councils. The chief minister of the host state is the vice-chairman. "The councils take up issues involving the Centre and states or one/many states falling in the zone. The zonal councils, thus, provide a forum for resolving disputes," according to an official statement.