Report on nuke liability Bill next week

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Prime VIP
New Delhi, August 13

With the Government seeming to break ice with the Opposition on the Nuclear Liability Bill, 2010, it might bring this much awaited Bill in the current monsoon session of the Parliament.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, currently examining the Bill, plans to table its report next week with its chairman T Subbirami Reddy claiming today, “I am confident that the report will be tabled on Wednesday.”

But Reddy’s claims apart, the government is frantically working to develop a consensus and facilitate an early passage of this Bill, considered crucial for starting international nuclear commerce and operationalise six nuclear plants which are in the pipeline. These are in Haripur, West Bengal, Kowada in Andhra Pradesh, Jaitapur in Maharashtra, Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, Kakrapar in Gujarat and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan.

Interceding on behalf of the Government Pranab Mukherjee discussed the issue with top brass of the BJP yesterday and today he invited over Left leaders to his chamber to see how far their views could be accommodated.

The BJP had yesterday asked Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan who articulated the Government stand on this Bill, to remove the cap on the liability clause and remove the precondition of the need to sign the Convention of Supplementary Compensation (CSC). Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal was also present on the occasion.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj also said, “We asked Prithviraj Chavan whether they planned to have some private operators to operate nuclear plants in India, otherwise where was the need to put a cap on liability?” she wondered aloud and added that the minister assured her that “At least for the next 50-60 years there is no chance. After that who knows who will be in government?”

She also said that Pranab Mukherjee felt that most of BJP points could be looked into and added that the BJP too could take a second look at the Bill if it is redrafted and “Our point of view accommodated. We told him where is the hurry you hold the standing committee report for another week.”

The Government immediately complied with this request and now it seems the BJP was also willing to walk half the way, indicated BJP member of the Standing Committee SS Ahluwalia today.

The Left too raised by and large the same objections to the Nuclear Liability Bill as the BJP did yesterday.
 
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