Nuclear liability bill referred to Par panel on S&T

New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) The controversial nuclear
liability bill has been referred to the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests
for examination, amid expectation that it would come up in the
monsoon session of Indian Parliament.
The Committee headed by senior Congress member T
Subbirami Reddy has been given two months' time to examine the
Bill and report back.
The Civil Liability For Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010,
which provides for payment of compensation in the event of a
nuclear accident, was introduced in the Lower House amid
protests and walkout by opposition National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) and Left parties which termed it as "illegal"
and "unconstitutional".
Left parties had contended that Parliament has no
legislative competence on the issue.
Official sources said that the Bill has to go to this
Standing Committee and not to the one on Energy as the rules
of procedure make it quite clear that matters related to
Atomic Energy fall under the Science and Technology Committee.
The bill, whose passage is a key requirement for
operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, provides for
maximum liability of Rs 500 crore on the part of the operator
in case of a nuclear accident, a provision that has been
objected to by the NDA and Left parties.
Significantly, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh
Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad, who
had opposed the bill in March when the first attempt was made
to introduce it, appeared to be siding with the government
when it was introduced at the fag end of the last session. PTI
SPG
MRD


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