By IANS,
New Delhi: Home Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday called upon the states to use the forum of zonal councils to resolve inter-state disputes instead of taking recourse to litigation.
Chidambaram, addressing the 19th meeting of the Central Zonal Council, comprising the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, said in case there are issues requiring urgent attention, the member states could request for fixing an early meeting of the council.
Regarding the request made by some states for training of personnel in their Special Branches (intelligence), the home minister said that the Intelligence Bureau has increased its training capacity and can offer some slots to the states.
About sanctioning more India Reserve (IR) battalions, he said the vacancies existing in state police forces should be filled up before sanctioning new IR Battalions.
They also discussed various developmental issues including road connectivity in the Maoist-affected and border areas.
The Zonal Councils are statutory bodies for resolution of inter-state problems, fostering balanced socio-economic regional development and strengthening centre-state relations.