Chennai, Aug. 21 -- Chief ministers of southern states on Thursday discussed regional water disputes, parliamentary delimitation demands, and more devolution of funds in proportion to their central tax pool contribution in a regional council meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah. At the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Mahabalipuram, Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar backed the controversial Mekedatu project, Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay underlined the rights of lower riparian states, Kerala CM VD Satheesan said his state would fund the Mullaiperiyar dam, Telangana deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu called for resolving Krishna river water dispute with Andhra Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu proposed a Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project. Shivakumar also urged the council to adopt a resolution calling upon the Union government to honour the 1971 census as the basis for delimitation, retain the Lok Sabha's existing strength of 543 seats for the next 25 years, and accommodate women's reservation within these existing seats - a view the Karnataka chief minister said was supported by Satheesan and Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu. All three states are ruled by the Congress. Vijay urged the Union government to provide a clear legislative assurance that no state will suffer a reduction in its percentage of representation in Parliament. Shah said the foundation of India's progress was development of southern states, which rested on three pillars - high literacy rate, trained manpower and technical expertise in utilisation of the deep sea - while their progress depended on water. "We have succeeded in making water-related issues dispute-free across entire North India; we will also have to think afresh on issues of water sharing in South India.If great rivers of India, from Brahmaputra to Cauvery and Godavari, are interconnected, India may not face any water shortage for the next 100 years," Shah said. "There is nothing wrong with protecting one's own state's interests, but if protecting those interests means that states do not get water for years, then no one's interests are truly being protected," he added. The meeting was attended by Vijay, Naidu, Shivakumar, Satheesan, Puducherry lieutenant governor K Kailashnathan, Andaman and Nicobar Islands lieutenant governor Admiral (retired.) D.K Joshi, Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel, and Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu. Chief secretaries, advisers and other senior officers of the state governments also attended the meeting. "That (delimitation) is the main agenda. I think TN, Kerala, Telangana and myself we all have come to the same agreement, the majority of the southern states." Shivakumar said....