Chandigarh: Punjab water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Tuesday moved a special resolution in the state assembly seeking Punjab’s claimed rightful share of the Yamuna river waters, arguing that the state has a historical and legal claim dating back to undivided Punjab.
The resolution states that the Yamuna flowed through undivided Punjab before the state’s reorganisation in 1966. It also cites an agreement between undivided Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in March 1954, which, according to the resolution, entitled Punjab to two-thirds of the river’s waters.
It argues that while the distribution of Ravi-Beas waters was considered during the 1966 reorganisation, the Yamuna waters were overlooked.
The resolution also refers to a 1972 irrigation commission report, which reportedly acknowledged that some areas of present-day Punjab fall within the Yamuna basin. It argues that if Haryana can claim a share of Ravi-Beas waters as a successor state, Punjab should also be recognised as having a claim to Yamuna waters.
Punjab was excluded from an agreement signed on May 12, 1994, by Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan for sharing Yamuna waters. The resolution points to Clause 8 of the agreement, which provides for a review after 2025.
It calls for Punjab to be included as a beneficiary state in the revised arrangement, with a share drawn from Haryana’s allocation.
