Chandigarh, March 20 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Friday that his government will file a lawsuit to demand Rs 1.44 lakh crore from Rajasthan for "unpaid" water usage since 1960.
Mann had said on Wednesday that Rajasthan had been paying royalties to Punjab for water until 1960, but stopped after that.
The chief minister had 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.
In response to questions from the Rajasthan government about Punjab's claim for water dues, Mann told reporters, "We will file a lawsuit, and the Rajasthan government may respond in court."
Earlier on Wednesday, Mann had 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 receiving 18,000 cusecs of water through the Rajasthan feeder.
The 1920 agreement stipulated that Rajasthan would 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 refuge in 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 had said that his government has written to the Rajasthan government, seeking a discussion on the matter.