Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the northern zonal council meeting on Friday in the city.
The NZC is comprised of the states namely Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, union territories of Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir and Laddakh and Government of NCT of Delhi.
It would be the first NZC meeting for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as union territories.
The Chief Ministers of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan alongwith two Ministers each, Administrators of union territories will attend the meeting. Chief Secretaries and senior officers from the State Governments and the Central Government will also attend the meeting to be held at Hyatt Regency, Industrial Area here.
The last meeting of the NZC was held in 2017 at Chandigarh and was presided over by the then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The zonal council will discuss broad range of issues including boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure related matters like road, transport, industries, water and power, matters pertaining to forests & environment, housing, education, food security, tourism, transport among others.
The Union Home Minister is also scheduled to launch the emergency helpline number 112 here. However, the old numbers including 100, 101 and 102 will continue to work and if people call on them, their calls will reach the new control room in the city.
Security has been beefed up across the city in view of Amit Shah’s visit. The NZC meet will begin at around 11 am and Shah is scheduled to return at 5:30 pm.
The inter-state issues included boundary dispute between Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, enhancing capacity of head regulator of Indira Gandhi Feeder at Harike, Sutlej Yamuna Link canal among others will be raised at the meeting.
Chandigarh Administration has decided to raise the issues of preservation of Sukhna Lake, burden on Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, financial grant to Panjab University, construction of outer ring road and renaming of Chandigarh International Airport at the meeting.
Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator VP Singh Badnore and his Advisor Manoj Parida will attend the meeting to represent the city.
Manoj Parida said, “With the PGIMER reeling under immense pressure due to ever-increasing rush of patients from the neighboring states, the Chandigarh Administration will push for de-congesting the tertiary level healthcare institution.
He said that the Administration will also request the Centre to provide financial assistance for the construction of the outer ring road.
Notably, as per a study of the daily (24 hours) traffic at the outer cordon points, about 1,52,650 vehicles enter or leave Chandigarh on a typical working day. Madhya Marg is the worst affected road since it provides the shortest and most direct connection between the satellite townships of Chandigarh. An outer ring road was planned to provide an alternative route for these vehicles in transit.
Preservation of Sukhna Lake and its catchment area, naming of Chandigarh International Airport and funds demand by Panjab University will be among other issues to be raised at the meeting by the Administration, he added.
