Punjab Passes Resolution Demanding Payments From Rajasthan, Eyes Supreme Court Over Yamuna
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In a dramatic move on the concluding day of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha's special session in Chandigarh, the state government intensified its offensive on inter-state water rights by passing major legislative resolutions aimed at recovering financial dues from neighboring states, securing international river runoffs, and preparing for national litigation. Irrigation Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved formal proposals demanding immediate monetary compensation from Rajasthan for decades of unbilled river water deliveries, calling on the central government to fast-track the Ujh Multipurpose Project to stop water flow into Pakistan, and threatening to approach the Supreme Court of India if the Jal Shakti Ministry stalls on constituting a tribunal for Punjab's share in the Yamuna River.
Non-Riparian Status: Punjab Demands Immediate Bill Payments and Annual Royalties From Rajasthan
The legislative resolutions took direct aim at historical interstate water agreements, arguing that Punjab's dwindling groundwater reserves can no longer support unpaid resource sharing:
Non-Riparian Argument: Irrigation Minister Goyal emphasized that the Sutlej, Ravi, and Beas rivers do not traverse any territory inside Rajasthan, firmly categorizing the desert state as a non-riparian entity that possesses no inherent natural right to these waters.
Commercialization While Punjab Thirsts: The House highlighted that while Punjab suffers from severe groundwater depletion and dry canal tails, Rajasthan has drawn river water free of charge for generations and converted it into massive agricultural and industrial revenue.
Binding Annual Tariffs: The resolution formally urges the Union Government to establish an administrative mechanism ensuring Rajasthan pays accrued dues to Punjab, alongside mandating a fixed annual recurring payment framework for all future water allocations.
Halting Outflow to Pakistan: Call to Fast-Track Ujh Multipurpose Project
The state assembly turned its focus toward saving precious trans-boundary water currently lost due to deficient northern reservoir infrastructure:
Ravi Catchment Inflows: Substantial volumes of water flowing across the international border into Pakistan originate from the Ujh, Taranah, and Basantar rivers originating in Jammu and Kashmir, merging into the Ravi downstream of the Madhopur Headworks.
Infrastructure Bottlenecks: Because Punjab currently lacks specialized diversion works below Madhopur, valuable runoff escapes into downstream territory during seasonal surges.
Diverting to Ranjit Sagar Dam: The Assembly appealed to the Centre to expedite the Ujh Multipurpose Project on high priority, enabling surplus flows to be trapped and channeled directly into the Ranjit Sagar Dam reservoir to feed regional irrigation networks.
Yamuna River Rights: Jal Shakti Ministry Complaint and Supreme Court Ultimatum
Reiterating legal claims rooted in the state reorganization of 1966, Punjab issued a direct deadline to central water authorities:
Historical Riparian Claims: The state argued that prior to the bifurcation of Punjab in 1966, the Yamuna River flowed through undivided Punjab territory, permanently establishing the state's historical and legal entitlement to Yamuna waters.
Expediting the 2025 Petition: The resolution demanded that the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti immediately act on Punjab's formal complaint submitted on April 25, 2025, and establish an official Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal without further bureaucratic delay.
Approaching the Apex Court: In the event that the central government fails to constitute the adjudicating tribunal, the resolution directs the state administration to file an immediate writ petition before the Supreme Court of India to reclaim Punjab's Yamuna quota.
Budgetary Safeguards for Welfare Schemes and Legislative Ruckus
Beyond river water disputes, the concluding assembly sitting witnessed heated policy debates and political retorts across party lines:
Safeguarding Flagship Schemes: Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema tabled a resolution to guarantee uninterrupted state budgetary outlays for key welfare programs, including 300 units of free monthly domestic power, zero-cost agricultural electricity, Aam Aadmi Clinics, free public bus transit for women, the Pilgrimage Scheme, and the Mawan-Dhiyan initiative, while condemning pushback from Congress, BJP, and SAD benches.
Rana Gurjeet Rebuts Defection Rumors: Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh dismissed rumors linking him to the BJP or Akali Dal, quipping that political gossip often gains traction without substance, adding that while his son maintains independent political steps, their family ideology remains aligned with the Congress.
Pre-Primary Mid-Day Meal Disparity: AAP legislator Kulwant Singh raised urgent concerns that Nursery and LKG students are routinely excluded from mid-day meals while UKG to eighth-grade students are fed in the same classrooms; treasury benches clarified that state allocations are being reworked following recent guideline revisions by the central government.
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