Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Wednesday urged all stakeholders to adhere to the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Cauvery water dispute and to follow the decisions of the Cauvery Management Authority.
He was speaking at the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting held at Kovalam near Chennai, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Vijay served as vice-chair of the council. The meeting was attended by leaders and representatives from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
In his address, Vijay said the southern states together contribute more than 30% to India’s GDP and are at the forefront of manufacturing, exports, services and innovation. He said coordinated solutions to shared challenges could create growth opportunities not only for the region but for the country as a whole.
Raising concerns over the easy availability of narcotics among youth, he called for a stronger central regulatory framework to curb online sales of drugs and for strict action against unauthorised sales. He also stressed the need for closer inter-state cooperation, including intelligence sharing, to prevent drug trafficking.
On infrastructure and economic integration, Vijay proposed common economic and logistics corridors linking manufacturing zones and multi-modal logistics parks to ports and global markets. He welcomed the plan to extend Bengaluru Metro services from Bommasandra in Karnataka to Hosur in Tamil Nadu and urged speedy implementation with support from the Centre and both states. He also said the council should prioritise the maritime economy and expand coastal shipping to reduce logistics costs, noting Tamil Nadu’s 1,076-km coastline and readiness to work with neighbouring states.
