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In the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting, Vijay is expected to seek the speedy implementation of the Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar-Cauvery river-linking project.
Amit Shah met Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay in Chennai, ahead of the 31st Meeting of the Southern Zonal Council.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in Chennai ahead of the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting scheduled to be held at Kovalam in Chengalpattu district on Thursday.
The Union Minister shared the photos of the meeting in a post on X, saying, “Met Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay in Chennai, ahead of the 31st Meeting of the Southern Zonal Council, to be held tomorrow in Kovalam, Chengalpattu.”
Met Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay in Chennai, ahead of the 31st Meeting of the Southern Zonal Council, to be held tomorrow in Kovalam, Chengalpattu. Ahead of the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council to be held tomorrow in Kovalam, Tamil Nadu… pic.twitter.com/VumDaLR7Bz
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 19, 2026
The meeting of the Southern Zonal Council is expected to be attended by the Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of the five member states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat and senior officials from the Centre and state governments are also likely to participate.
The meeting is expected to discuss several issues of common interest among the southern states, including pending inter-State matters, water-sharing disputes, regional development and coordination.
Vijay To Raise River-Linking Project
In the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting, Vijay is expected to seek the speedy implementation of the Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar-Cauvery river-linking project.
Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister N Anand told Times of India that the state government was taking steps to implement the project through the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), the Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers and the Union government.
Earlier this month, Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking directions to the Jal Shakti Ministry and the NWDA to expedite consultations with the stakeholder states and resolve pending issues. Anand has also written to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart seeking the state’s concurrence for the project.
The Tamil Nadu government has also raised concerns over the condition of the Cauvery delta, citing falling groundwater levels, saline water intrusion, deteriorating irrigation infrastructure, climate variability and reduced river flows.
What Happened At Previous Meeting?
The 30th Southern Zonal Council meeting, held in Thiruvananthapuram, discussed 26 issues, of which nine were resolved and 17 were kept for further consideration. Nine of the issues were related to the reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh, as reported by news agency ANI.
While chairing the previous meeting, Shah had urged Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to resolve their pending issues in the interest of the people of both states. He had also called on the member states to find a joint solution to issues related to the sharing of river water.
What Is Southern Zonal Council?
The five Zonal Councils — Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern — were established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, to promote cooperation and coordination among states.
The councils discuss and make recommendations on issues of common interest, including economic and social planning, inter-State transport, border disputes and matters concerning linguistic minorities.
The Zonal Councils serve as platforms for states to work together on issues affecting their respective regions while keeping broader national interests in mind.
(With inputs from agencies)
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18The 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting is expected to discuss interstate cooperation, economic development, industrial investment, infrastructure expansion, water sharing disputes, education, healthcare, information technology, and disaster management. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is expected to seek the speedy implementation of the Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar-Cauvery river-linking project.
Ask News18About the Author
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre…Read More
August 20, 2026, 07:22 IST
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