Speedy probe, pending railway projects discussed at Northern Zonal Council meet

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 3

Several important inter-state issues, including speedy investigation into cases of sexual offence against women and children and pending railway projects, were discussed at the 19th meeting of the Standing Committee of Northern Zonal Council, held here today.

Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh presided over the meeting, organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs.

During the meeting, discussion on issues pertaining to coverage of villages by bank branches and postal banking facilities were held. Effective implementation of direct benefit transfer for social sector schemes, abandoning of cattle on trans-state border and Chandigarh-Baddi rail line issue were also discussed.

Deliberations were also held regarding handing over of railway land at Jagatpura-Shivdaspura, near Durgapura railway station, Gandhinagar railway station and Bais Godam railway station. The committee also discussed introduction of central database of violators under the Motor Vehicle Act and execution of new inter-state routes.

Anuradha Prasad, Secretary, Inter-State Council; PK Das, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Revenue and Disaster Management, Haryana; Dharam Pal, adviser to Lieutenant Governor of Chandigarh; Umang Narula, adviser to Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh; Praveen Kumar Gupta, ACS Delhi; Sarvjit Singh, Principal Secretary Water Resources, Punjab; Manoj Kumar Dewedi, Principal Secretary, J&K; Naveen Jain, Secretary, Rajasthan; and other administrative secretaries and heads of departments were present in the meeting.