Bhubaneswar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Odisha on February 28 and 29.
He will attend Eastern Zonal Council meeting and address a rally in Bhubaneswar on February 28 as part of the BJP’s outreach programme on citizenship amendment act (CAA). Shah will offer prayers at Jagannath Temple in Puri and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar on February 29, informed Odisha BJP unit president Samir Mohanty here on Sunday.
Earlier, on the two occasions, the visit of Shah to Bhubaneswar was postponed twice.
Besides, the Chief Ministers of Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Sikkim are likely to attend the meeting of Eastern Zonal Council aimed to review the law and order situation in the region.
It is pertinent to mention here that five Zonal Councils were set up in 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Re-Organisation Act 1956.
As per the provision, the Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these five Zonal Councils and Chief Ministers of the host State (to be chosen by routine every year) is the Vice-Chairman.
The Council takes up issues involving Centre and States. The Zonal Councils provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between Centre and States and among many States in the Zone. The Zonal Councils discuss broad range of issues which include boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure related matters like road, transport, industries, water and power, matters pertaining to forests and environment, housing, education, food security, tourism and transport.
