Members in the Lok Sabha today raised questions on the safety of nuclear power plants and said while the world was moving away from nuclear power, India is moving into it.
Some members also said the nuclear liability law was in a way hindering India's quest for nuclear energy and also asked government to allow the private sector enter the field.
Moving the Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 for passage, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a lot of importance to atomic energy and whenever he has been on an overseas visit he has inked nuclear energy pacts with foreign countries.
"Now the stage has come that we plan how best to expand buclear programme. We are among the frontline nations in nuclear programme. In days to come, nuclear energy is going to become the main source of energy," he said.
The Bill, introduced by Singh on December 7, proposes to amend the 1962 Atomic Energy Act to change the definition of "government company" in the Act with a view to expand its scope by including such joint venture companies as may be formed between NPCIL and other PSUs, according to the statement of object and reasons.
At present, only two Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) -- Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), which are under the administrative control of Department of Atomic Energy, operate nuclear power plants in the country.
Participating in the discussion on the bill, Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) said the government should ensure that the safety of the nuclear and atomic plants was always on top of its agenda. He also questioned the way spent fuel is dumped in the sea using lead containers.
He said the credit for India's nuclear power quest should go to the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and acclaimed nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha.
Roy said the country is not getting nuclear trade on the lines expected due to the liability law and asked the government to explain whether it was planning to amend it.
Tathagata Satpathy (BJD) said while the world is moving away from nuclear power, India is moving into it.
He said while in opposition, BJP had opposed the Indo-US nuclear deal but now in a "volte face" it is supporting it. He said their much-chanted stance had little to do with their ideology but it is power "which changes things".
Satpathy questioned the refusal of the government to
part with safety data of nuclear reactors, claiming that such documents were available freely world-over but not in India.
He claimed that Areva company of France was selling "archaic" nuclear technology for a plant in Maharashtra but the regulators are not aware of it. The French nuclear regulator, he said, has already described that technology as "archaic".
The BJD member said by keeping the control of atomic power in the hands of its agencies, government has kept things under "shroud."
Vinayak Raut (Shiv Sena) said while his party does not oppose nuclear power, it is opposed to the idea of setting up a power plant in Jaitapur as it fell under Zone IV of earthquake zone. He also claimed the company, Areva, has been "blacklisted", but did not clarify by whom.
He said the government has failed to remove doubts about nuclear energy from the minds of the people who remain wary about the safety aspect.
Jayadev Galla (TDP) said the government should allow private companies in nuclear projects as nuclear power was an important source of clean energy beyond solar and wind power.
Supporting the amendment bill, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy (TRS) said that India should welcome foreign investment "but not foreign influence" in developing nuclear energy sector.
CPI(M) member M B Rajesh stressed that there should be no private or foreign investment in the nuclear energy sector. He also said that while developing the nuclear sector, government should remain aware of the global trend of reducing reliance on nuclear power by developed countries like the US, Japan and Germany.
C N Wanage (BJP) opined that nuclear power was important for development of the country and the fears expressed about safety, especially in India, were unfounded.
He said adequate safeguards were in place at Tarapore nuclear power plant which he had visited several times as a public representative.
P R Sundaram (AIADMK) welcomed the amendments and demanded that nuclear power generated from plants in Tamil Nadu should be made available to the state.
Expelled RJD member Rajesh Ranjan suggested that the government should focus on research and development and education in this field.
