NUCLEAR 2 LST

During the Committee's hearing, Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao, Home Secretary G K Pillai, Finance Secretary
Ashok Chawla, Expenditure Secretary Sushama Nath, Environment
Secretary Vijai Sharma and Legislative Secretary V K Bhasin
also deposed and answered queries of the members.
The Standing Committee members also had concerns over
Section 35 of the Bill which says that no civil court shall
have jursidiction to entertain any suit or proceedings in
respect of any matter which the Claims Commissioner is
empowered to adjudicate.
The members wanted enhancement in the 10-year limit to
the right to claim compensation as they were of the opinion
that the period was "too short a span" in the light of
prolonged effect of nuclear incidents.
Rao faced some tough questions, like whether the
amendments to the Bill were moved under pressure from foreign
countries. She denied any pressure.
However, Banerjee admitted that the passage of the Bill
was key to the operationalisation of the civil nuclear
cooperation agreements signed with several countries.
The DAE officials also assured the members that the
government was not mulling allowing private companies to set
up nuclear power plants in the country.
They also made it clear that foreign companies, including
those from the US, were only vendors and the nuclear power
plants would be set up and run by state-run companies.
Industry bodies Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry and Assocham, whose representatives also appeared
before the Committee, favoured clauses for foreign nuclear
supplier to provide for compensation in case of accidents
caused by wilful action or gross negligence.
Apparently keeping the Bhopal gas leakage case in mind,
the industry bodies also wanted the compensation to factor in
costs incurred in re-instatement of the impaired environment
caused by a nuclear incident if proved in a court of law.
Assocham wanted the 10-year cap for claiming compensation
to be raised to up to 25 years in view of Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
Bhartiya Janta Party leader and former External Affairs
Minister Yashwant Sinha has written to the Committee,
expressing desire to depose before it.
"I have written to the Chairman expressing my desire to
depose before the Committee and I am awaiting his reply,"
Sinha said.
Members have also asked the Chairman to call in more
experts like former Atomic Energy Commission Chairmen P K
Iyengar and Anil Kakodkar, experts Brahma Chellaney and Bharat
Karnad and former diplomats Satish Chandra and Kanwal Sibal.
PTI SKU
KAB


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