No country can say no to liability clause in nuke bill: AEC

Chennai, Jul 30 (PTI) Amid reservations by US and Russia
over liability during any nuclear accident in India, the
Atomic Energy Commission Friday firmly said no foreign country
can fail to abide by the relevant clause in the proposed
nuclear liablity law on responsibility and compensation.
"How can they say no. We are not saying something which
is totally out of the way. This is exactly the manner in which
liability bills are made in other countries," Commission
Chairman and Atomic Energy Secretary Srikumar Bannerjee said.
Twenty-eight of the 30 countries operating reactors had
either a domestic law or were a member of an international
convention, he told reporters here.
Banerjee was responding to queries on reports about
Russia's insistence that all liability for any accident that
may occur in reactors sold to India must rest solely with the
Indian operator and not with Russian companies involved in
supplying components and know-how.
He declined to comment on Russia's reported stand,
saying they were "country-to-country" agreements but added no
country can give the liability clause a go-by.
Noting that were no liability clauses earlier, he said
the Nuclear Liability Bill is an instrument of assurance to
people that in the event of any nuclear accident there is a
provision for a "prompt and absolute responsibility" and there
is a scope for payment of compensation directly.
"If it is not prompt, then it goes to litigation and the
whole purpose gets lost," he said.
"The Bill is for our country. It is not any
country-specific and has to be done in a manner that we have
to ensure that if something happens there should be a proper
liability," Bannerjee said.
The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill, 2010,
required to operationalise the civil nuclear pacts by India
with several countries, including US, was referred to a
Parliamentary committee after it got embroiled in a bitterly
divisive political debate in the country. It provides for
among other things payment of compensation in case of nuclear
accidents.
Opposition parties argue that the Rs 500 crore cap on
liability to be paid by the operator of a nuclear plant was
too little. PTI SA
KAB


The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended for the exclusive use of the addressee(s) and may contain
proprietary, confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended
recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify
the sender immediately and destroy all copies of this message and any attachments
contained in it.