Chandigarh, March 18 The Punjab government will seek Rs 1.44 lakh crore from Rajasthan for "unpaid" water usage since 1960, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Wednesday, referring to a 1920 tripartite agreement.
Mann said that Rajasthan had been paying royalty to Punjab for water until 1960, but stopped after that.
The chief minister asserted that Rajasthan must either pay Punjab its rightful dues or stop drawing water, as he called for a review of the 1920 agreement governing this arrangement.
Mann told reporters that Rajasthan owes Punjab Rs 1.44 lakh crore for the water drawn through the Ferozepur Feeder since 1960, for which not even a single penny has been paid.
The chief minister mentioned the 1920 agreement involving the British government, the state of Bahawalpur (now in Pakistan), and the then Maharaja of Bikaner.
Currently, he said, Rajasthan is getting 18,000 cusecs of water through the Rajasthan feeder.
The 1920 agreement stipulated that Rajasthan should pay a fee for the water taken from Punjab, which it did until 1960.
"But after the Indus Water Treaty, Rajasthan stopped paying despite continuously drawing 18,000 cusecs of water," he said.
"Even today, Rajasthan continues to draw water under the 1920 agreement, but when it comes to paying dues, it takes shelter under the 1960 arrangement."
"The governments at that time, while entering into the new arrangement in 1960, did not mention payment, but they also never cancelled the 1920 agreement," Mann said.
The chief minister said that the agreement mandated a review every 25 years, but previous governments never raised this issue or pursued Punjab's rightful claim.
"Under the 1920 agreement signed during the British era with Bikaner, 18,000 cusecs of Punjab's water was supplied continuously until 1960. However, after the Indus Waters Treaty, there was no mention of this arrangement. If we calculate dues from 1960 to 2026, Rajasthan owes Punjab Rs 1.44 lakh crore," he said.
Mann said his government has written to the Rajasthan government, seeking a discussion on the matter.
"The 1920 agreement has not been terminated yet. We will demand royalty (from Rajasthan)," he said, adding that Punjab will also involve the Centre in the matter.
"We will raise this issue strongly at all appropriate forums and ensure that Punjab gets what is rightfully its own. We will leave no stone unturned to recover this money," he added.