Zonal Councils in the Indian Federal System A Case Study Shriram Maheshwari The functioning of the Central Zonal Council during the seven years from its inception to 1963 refutes the many criticisms levelled against the institution of zonal councils in our federal system. The fear that these Councils would become the proverbial fifth wheel in the administrative coach serving purpose other than impeding speed and efficiency has proved entirely unfounded. Nor have the Councils become one other tier in the power hierarchy. The States constituting a Zonal Council are not required to get the clear­ ance of the Council before proceeding with any programme or policy. Though the Zonal Councils are the Centre's creation and the Union Home Minister is the Chairman of all the Councils, it has not happened that in their operation the Councils have functioned as handmaids of the Centre. Use of the Councils to persuade the States to accept some policies of the Central Government is just one aspect of the role of the Councils. If it is not trite that the Zonal Councils have been used to weaken the federal system by the Centre encroach- ing on the spheres of the States, the opposite is also not true. The formation of the Councils has in no way created a challenge to the authority of the Centre, nor is there any possibility of this happening in future. The Council's working is regulated by the Union Home Minister and the Joint Secretary of the Council, who is a nominee of the Government of India, is virtually the resident agent of the Central Government in the Zone, exercising ad- ministrative control over the Secretariat of the Council. The Zonal Councils have functioned as purely advisory bodies without exercising anything like coercive powers against either the Centre or the States. ZONAL Councils, set up under the viations. The over-all conclusions projects, there is constant and States Re-organisation Act, 1956, I emerging from the present study may, daily need for co-operation have as their avowed object the deve­ therefore, generally hold good in the between the two Governments. lopment of "co-operative working" to case of other Councils as well. counter "too acute a State-conscious­ (iii) Puller utilisation of Power pro­ ness which has been encouraged even The Central Zonal Council consists jects near the border between more by arguments about linguism and of Uttar Pradesh, the largest State of the two States calls for increas­ the like." They have been called upon the Indian Union from the point of ed co-operation and understand, to promote inter-State co-operation and population, and Madhya Pradesh, the ing between them. It is not co-ordination, this being obviously a largest in respect of area. It rovers unlikely that while demand for necessary pre-requisite for the ordered slightly less than one-fourth of the power exists in one State, the progress of the individual States no total area of the country, and is in­ potential for power general ion Jess than of the nation as a whole. habited by one-fourth, approximately, of may abound in a' contiguous the country's population. This Zone is These Councils, thus, represent an inte­ area falling within the other the largest in area, and in regard to resting experiment in co-operative State. "For the achievement of population is is second only to the federalism, forming a part of the com­ optimum benefits development Eastern Zone. Yet, of all the Zones, plex of processes for relieving, or, a! schemes of different States have this one manifests the highest degree any rate, reducing the strains and to be clearly co-ordinated. Water of linguistic homogeneity. Consequent, stresses inherent in a federal polity. stored in the reservoirs in one ly, no psychological barriers, born of In particular, they may make recom­ State may be used with advant­ differences in the language spoken at mendations with regard to: age for irrigation and power different parts, have confronted the generation in the adjoining "(a) any matter of common interest Central Zonal Council. Happily placed State. Similarly, power availa­ in the field of economic and in this respect, it can usefully address ble in one State may be distri­ social planning; itself to quite a few problems facing buted in other States. In certain (b) any matter concerning border the participating States of Uttar Pra­ cases, it may be necessary to disputes, linguistic minorities or desh and Madhya Pradesh. In parti­ divert waters from one basin to inter-State transport; cular, the following problems may be the other for the benefit of the solved more effectively if tackled on (c) any matter connected ,with or region as a whole. Co-operation a zonal basis: arising out of the re-organisa­ between the States is therefore, tion of the States under this (1) The problem of dacoity in the essential for investigations, road Act."2 Chambal ravines and in the surveys, allocation of waters contiguous areas calls for inter- and power generated and shar­ The present paper is restricted to the ing of their costs.4 discussion of the Central Zonal Coun­ State administrative arrange­ 3 ments. cil. Each Council, it is true, has The Central Zonal Council was in­ developed its own nuances and under­ (ii) The border between U P and augurated on May J. 1957, and had tones, and, therefore, differs from its M P is, in the opinion of many, held five meetings until 1963: counterparts both in matters of details not as rational as it could be; First meeting: May 1. 1957; and positive achievements, Neverthe­ and in matters such as the con­ Second meeting: January 4, 3 958; less the common institutional charac­ struction and maintenance of Third meeting: June 22, 1958; teristics of these Councils do not, per­ roads, administration of justice, Fourth meeting: August 28, 1960; haps, make for any fundamental de­ implementation of development Fifth meeting: January 29 and 30, 1963, 1131 July 17, 1965 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY It may be noted that the Council in the north of M P and scuth they submit the results of their has not been meeting at regular Inter­ of UP. deliberations to the Council . which vals and the interval between succes­ then takes appropriate decisions. The (20) Appointment of a 'study group' sive meetings has been setting longer. Central Zonal Council had appointed to examine the Motor Vehicles In course of these five meetings the the following committees, each entrust­ Rules of both the States with a Council discussed 67 items including ed with specific problems : view to ensuring more smooth items concerning purely procedural (1) Man power Planning Committee, matters. This number also includes the operation of both goods and consisting of Chief Secretaries, Develop­ items that figured on the agenda on passenger road transport ser­ ment Commissioners, and Re-organisa­ an earlier occasion as well but on vices on inter-State routes and tion (or Integration) Officers of the two which the discussion could not be connected reciprocal arrange­ States, to study the man-power pro­ completed, or was postponed for con­ ments. blem in the Zone. sideration at the subsequent meeting (21) Examination of possibilities of of the Council. Below is a list of the extending irrigation from Rang- (2) Power Development (Technical) more important subjects discussed by wan reservoir and Ken canal in Committee for power development on the Central Zonal Council during the M P by UP engineers. Zonal basis, consisting of the follow- seven years to 1963. (22) Improvement of communica­ iOg: tions between U P and M P. (i) a representative of the Central (1) Agricultural production pro­ (23) Implementation of the safe­ Water and Power Commission; gramme for achieving the re- guards for linguistic minorities (ii) a representative of the Central vised production targets, in UP and MP. Ministry of Commerce and Industry; (2) Recasting of State plans in con­ (iii) Chief Engineers of the Electri­ sequence of States' reorganisa­ As mentioned earlier, the Central city Departments, and/or Electricity tion. Zonal Council met five times since its Boards of the two States; (3) Man-power planning. inception to 1963, the number of par­ (iv) two representatives of the (4) Acquisition of land for Rihand ticipants at a meeting fluctuating bet­ ween 14 and 19. This number includes Development Commissioners of each of dam. the States; (5) Supply of electric energy and the Chairman (who is the Central Home Minister), the ministers including the (v) Directors of Industries of the water for irrigation and other Chief Ministers of the participating two States; purposes to Madhya Pradesh States, their 'advisers', and some senior (vi) a representative of the Federa­ from Rihand dam. officials of the Central Government In tion of Electricity Undertakings of (6) Supply of water and power to addition to the Chief Ministers of both India; M P from Matatila dam. the States, there are, as a rule, one or (vii) a representative of the Natural (7) Development of Chitrakut and two other ministers from each State. Resources Division of the Planning surrounding areas. Among the 'advisers' are the Chief Commission; (8) Power development on Zonal Secretaries and Development Secreta­ (viii) Joint Secretary of the Central basis in the Central Zone, ries of both the States. The Council, Zonal Council. (9) Recruitment of one-third of the thus, partakes of the features of a (3) On M P's request for supply of number of the High Court summit meeting of the chief executives power and water to M P from Rihand judges from outside the State.