Union Home Minister Amit Shah, right, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, left, during the 31st Meeting of the Southern Zonal Council (SZC) at Mahabalipuram,
| Photo Credit:
@CMOTamilnadu
The Southern States are the main pillars of India’s development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, calling for early resolution of pending water-related issues concerning the States through joint meetings involving Ministry of Jal Shakti, Home Affairs, the Inter-State Council, and the respective States.Shah was chairing the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Mahabalipuram near Chennai, which was attended by Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Keralam, and Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lieutenant Governor, and other officials.“Protecting the interests of one’s State is not wrong; however, if the process of protecting interests results in States being deprived of water for years while it simply flows into the sea, then no actual interest is being served,” Shah said, as per an MHA statement. He suggested that linking major rivers, from the Brahmaputra to the Kaveri and Godavari, could ensure that India faces no water shortage for the next 100 years.Southern states agreed with the Home Minister’s suggestion to resolve these pending water disputes expeditiously through mutual dialogue and constructive solutions, MHA said.Shah also called for cooperation in the matter of eradicating drugs, another key issue put forward by the States. MHA has prepared a three-year roadmap for a drug-free India and that is not possible without involvement of all States, Shah said.Hosted by Tamil Nadu, the event saw individual CMs stress on the need for greater cooperation between themselves. They also flagged the strong contribution of the States to India’s development and used the platform to lay down long-pending inter-State issues that needed resolution and areas where better joint action could yield better results.TN CM C Joseph Vijay proposed common economic and logistics clusters across the Southern States, comprising manufacturing zones, shared multimodal logistics parks, and corridors that link each of their production centres to global markets.Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar told media persons that he has given a commitment in the presence of that the interests of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be protected in the proposed Mekedatu dam issue.Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka identified water security, energy, and economic competitiveness as areas that will increasingly transcend State boundaries, and needed cooperation. “If southern India grows together, India grows faster,” he said.Keralam CM VD Satheesan pushed for greater fiscal fairness, stronger Centre-State relations, and coordinated action on issues such as drugs, organised crime, and illegal migration.AP CM Chandrababu Naidu put forward a roadmap to build a $10 trillion Southern economy by 2047. This includes proposals such as a High-Speed Bullet Train corridor via Kuppam joining AP, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu, shared logistics networks, and a mutual-aid force for disasters.Telangana also offered to host the next (32nd) Southern Zonal Council in Hyderabad.Published on August 20, 2026
