Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council in Kolkata on Saturday where issues like security along the inter-state borders, smuggling along the India-Bangladesh border, and connectivity will be discussed. The meeting is scheduled to be held at the state Secretariat Nabanna's Assembly Hall at 11 am will also be attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The top echelons of the Nabanna are now in the final stages of the preparation. According to sources, Mamata Banerjee is likely to hand over several demands to Amit Shah regarding the state's border areas. It is learnt that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar may skip the meeting, but his deputy Tejashwi Yadav may attend the meeting. Apart from that Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Odisha's CM Naveen Patnaik are scheduled to attend the meeting.
The Eastern Zonal Council comprises West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. It will be attended by chief ministers, ministers, chief secretaries, principal secretaries, and senior officers of the member states and senior officers of the Central government, a home ministry official said. The meeting of the council is also expected to discuss the power and other issues of common interests. As per the established procedure and practice, the zonal council meeting is preceded by a standing committee of the council, in which the agenda items to be placed before the council are scrutinised and listed in order of priority.
The Modi government has been regularly holding meetings of the zonal councils as a part of its strategy to strengthen and promote cooperative and competitive federalism in the country, an official said. The regional councils provide a forum for discussion in a structured manner on issues affecting one or more states or issues between the Centre and the states. In the last eight years under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the number of meetings of the zonal councils and its standing committees has increased by three times, the official said.
