Rajasthan Slams Punjab's ₹1.44 Lakh Crore Water Royalty Demand as Illegal
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A high-stakes inter-state river dispute has erupted between northern neighbors as the Rajasthan government firmly rejected Punjab's demand for ₹1.44 lakh crore in canal water royalties, denouncing the claim as entirely illegal, unconstitutional, and devoid of statutory backing. The sharp response came after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann moved a resolution during a special assembly session asserting historical rights and demanding accumulated financial compensation for river waters supplied to the desert state over decades. Countering the claim, senior Rajasthan cabinet ministers and top bureaucrats stated that natural river courses represent national assets governed by sovereign inter-state treaties rather than commercial merchandise subject to unilateral fiscal levies.
Decades of Binding Treaties: 1955, 1959, and 1981 Accords Bar Commercial Water Levies
Rajasthan's Water Resources Ministry held an emergency high-level review meeting to formulate a robust legal challenge against Punjab's claims:
No Financial Clause in Historic Pacts: Rajasthan Water Resources Minister Suresh Rawat asserted that the binding tripartite and bilateral inter-state river water sharing agreements finalized in 1955, 1959, and 1981 contain no legal provisions authorizing royalty payments on shared natural water resources.
1955 Ravi-Beas Allocation Framework: Under the 1955 inter-state water conference mediated by the Government of India, surplus waters of the Ravi and Beas rivers were distributed among riparian and non-riparian basin partners, granting Rajasthan 8.00 million acre-feet (MAF) of water without commercial charges.
1981 Multi-State Settlement: The subsequent 1981 pact reaffirmed the allocation by formally allocating 8.60 MAF of surplus Ravi-Beas water to Rajasthan, establishing settled usage rights backed by the central government.
Pre-Independence Precedents Debunked: Rebutting Punjab's reliance on British-era arrangements, officials highlighted that the 1920 tripartite agreement involving the British administration, the princely state of Bahawalpur, and the Bikaner state saw administrative seigniorage fees paid exclusively to the British imperial treasury, not to the provincial government of Punjab.
Constitutional Safeguards: Article 262 Establishes Inter-State Rivers as Sovereign National Resources
Reviewing the discussions held on the floor of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary Abhay Kumar and senior administrative legal advisors outlined strong constitutional objections:
Sovereignty Under Article 262: Officials stressed that under Article 262 of the Constitution of India, the power to legislate, adjudicate, and regulate the distribution, control, and settlement of inter-state river systems resides strictly with the Parliament of India and designated tribunals, superseding state assembly resolutions.
Rivers Are National Assets: Legal experts reiterated that flowing river waters are common heritage national resources essential for agrarian livelihoods, food security, and drinking water access, ruling out any state-level commodification.
Mann's Assembly Declaration: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserted during Tuesday's assembly proceedings that his government would pursue every drop of water and fight through judicial and grassroots channels to extract the ₹1.44 lakh crore claim.
Rajasthan's Legal Preparedness: Asserting its readiness for a judicial showdown, Rajasthan declared that any unilateral move by Punjab to block canal flows or impose arbitrary tariffs will face immediate constitutional challenges before the Supreme Court of India.
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