Civil Nuclear Liability report tabled in Parliament

A parliamentary committee looking into the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill tabled its report in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday amid protests from the Left.

The report was tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Committee Chairman T Subbirami Reddy, and in the Lok Sabha, by Pradeep Tamta.

The report was finalised after the government agreed to accommodate most of the concerns of opposition BJP, including raising the compensation cap to Rs 1500 crores from Rs 500 crore.

The passage of the Bill is considered important for starting nuclear commerce between India and the international community.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Subbirami Reddy, said: "Every issue raised by the members was discussed threadbare and amendments suggested by them are being considered."

Refusing to reveal any detail about the amendments, he indicated a possibility of the hike when he said: "I cannot divulge much, but I can say that we have incorporated many suggestions in the Bill."

"We had total 24 meetings... all are being consulted including trade union leaders. The Bill is in the interest of the nation," he informed.

Earlier, the government had listed the Bill for introduction on March 15, but had to defer it at the last moment after it realised that it did not have the requisite numbers to see its introduction in the Lok Sabha.

In the present form, the Bill limits liability to the operator for each nuclear accident at Rs 500 crore.