Punjabs Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has been,of late,demanding that Punjab be paid royalty for use of water from rivers that flow through the state,mainly to Haryana and Rajasthan. This has re-ignited the river water sharing dispute in the region. Badal has backed his polemics with several instances from the past. Most notably,he points out that prior to Independence,many of the princely states in the present day Haryana and Rajasthan were paying royalties for use of water that emanated from Punjabs rivers. This issue was taken up with the Centre when they arbitrarily divided the water of Punjab in 1947. No decision was taken at that time. It is high time Punjab is given its due, he says. We were unfairly treated in all the water accords after Independence. Our water requirement was under-assessed. We were denied our share in the Yamuna water. The Centre said since Yamuna doesnt flow through Punjab,we dont have any right over its water. By the same argument,Haryana should have no right over waters of Beas and Ravi since they do not flow through Haryana. It is fair that at least they pay royalty for it. There is nothing unjust in demanding it. Water is a natural resource and all states get royalties for use of their natural resources such as coal and other minerals. We are asking for what is our legitimate right, says Badal. Initially dubbed as political grandstanding,Badals position is now invoking reactions from other political parties in the region. While he was earlier dismissive of Badals comments,Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda now talks about Punjabs own non-compliance with myriad directions from the Centre and the Supreme Court over the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL). He is unnecessarily trying to politicise the issue. If he is demanding royalty,he should first pay royalty for water that is Haryanas right,but has not been given by Punjab for past so many decades, says Hooda. The royalty debate has also captured the attention of the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal says the first right of royalty on use of river waters is that of Himachal,as most of these rivers originate in the state. The Congress,the main opposition party in Punjab,is struggling to put together a coherent response. It knows it cannot support Badals demand openly in view of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. But at the same time it knows that it cannot afford to remain silent on an issue that has always evoked strong reactions from the states population. Former chief minister Amarinder Singh has voiced his solidarity,albeit in an indirect manner. Referring to the Supreme Court hearing on the presidential reference of Punjab Termination of Water Act in July,he says,As the Chief Minister of Punjab,it is Badals responsibility to see that the states interests are legally safeguarded. All possible legal representation should be provided to safeguard the states interests in the Supreme Court. The Congress government in Haryana is staking its own claim,saying that because of the pending SYL and Hansi Butana link,the water that Haryana receives from Bhakra is half of what is actually due to it. It is very strange for Punjab to invoke an instance so far back from history,when they have failed to honour the more recent agreements and directions by the Centre and the apex court. They have defaulted on the deadline of SYL construction eight times now, says Haryanas Finance Minister Ajay Yadav. While Haryanas politicians bring up the issue of the Longowal accord signed by Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 that mandates construction of SYL,Punjab counters that even if the Longowal accord was to be considered,it provides for several other points which Haryana doesnt agree to,most notably transfer of Union Territory of Chandigarh to Punjab.
