Govt withdraws crucial amendment to N-Liability Bill

New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) In the face of stiff opposition
from Bhartiya Jantya Party and Left, the Indian government
Tuesday retracted on its move to dilute a key provision in the
Nuclear Liability Bill after tough questioning by members of a
Parliamentary Committee.
Department of Atomic Energy Secretary Srikumar Banerjee
Tuesday expressed regrets before the Standing Committee on
Science and Technology for circulating a note at the last
meeting which contained a proposal for amending Clause 17 (b).
The clause 17 (b) proposes that the operator would have
legal recourse if a nuclear accident results from the "wilful
act or gross negligence on the part of the supplier of the
material, equipment or services, or of his employee."
According to the note circulated at the last meeting of
the Standing Committee on June 8, the clause 17 (b) had been
deleted while clause 17 (a) and (c) had been retained.
At the meeting Tuesday, the Committee was informed that
the government was withdrawing that note and the original
clause stands part of the bill, sources said.
The clause 17 (a) provides that the operator could have
the legal recourse if "such right is expressly provided in the
contract in writing" while 17 (c) says the recourse could be
taken if "the nuclear incident has resulted from the act of
commission or omission of a person done with the intent to
cause nuclear damage."
During the day-long meeting, members of the Committee
grilled Banerjee and other officials, questioning the intent
behind the amendments and wondering whether the consent of the
Cabinet had been taken for it, sources said.
The government officials are understood to have told the
Committee that the amendments were only "suggestions".
After the proposals were moved at the last Committee
meeting, the government had come under sharp attack from BJP
and Left, which questioned whether it was being done to help
the American companies.
Another area of contention was the Rs 500 crore cap on
the compensation to be paid by an operator of a nuclear power
plant in case of an accident.
There were strong demands that the cap be raised. (MORE)
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