LDALL NUCLEAR 2 LAST

Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said if the change
is not annulled, BJP could move its amendment when the Bill
is brought in Parliament.
Government sources said BJP's contention that the changes
were not discussed at the Standing Committee meetings was
"serious" and had to be taken on board.
The government is learnt to be unhappy with the stapling
on the report a separate page where the contentious word 'and'
was mentioned, saying it had complicated the issue.
Left parties also objected to the addition of the word
'and', contending that it was done to protect the foreign
equipment suppliers from any responsibility in case of a
nuclear accident.
Top leaders of left parties CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward
Bloc appealed to all political parties to reconsider their
position regarding the proposed legislation as the Standing
Committee's recommendations "will not substantially improve
it".
The parties opposed the cap of Rs 1,500 crore on the
liability of a nuclear plant operator, saying it was "hardly
significant", pointing out that a nuclear accident would be
much more devastating than the Bhopal gas disaster.
Demanding the cap be raised to at least Rs 10,000 crore,
CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said "none of the
international nuclear liability conventions set any cap on
total liability but only set a floor level".
The clubbing of two clauses on the right of recourse of a
nuclear plant operator was aimed at protecting the foreign
equipment suppliers, he told reporters after a meeting of top
Left leaders here.
Referring to Clause 17 of the Bill, he said the right of
the operator to claim damages from the supplier of nuclear
equipment and material (right of recourse) has "now been made
entirely contingent on whether such right is explicitly
provided in the private contract between the operator and
supplier".
In the likely scenario of the foreign suppliers not
agreeing to provide for right of recourse in the contract,
they cannot be held liable for any nuclear damage even if
they have supplied defective equipment, Karat said. PTI SKU
RDM


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