Nuclear Liability Bill introduction in Parliament deferred

With the government changing its mind all of a sudden, the introduction of the much talked about Civil Nuclear Liability Bill has been deferred.

The Bill, which has come under constant attack from among the opposition parties, had been seen by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government as crucial. The legislation, it is believed, looks at limiting the liabilities of companies establishing nuclear power plants in India.

Though the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill was to come up in Parliament today, the government preferred a deferment in the eleventh hour. The reason being said is the opposition to the Bill by major political groups on the other side of the ruling alliance. The government decision to defer the Bill came in anticipation of a major hindrance that would have been launched by the Opposition.

The Bill may be seen as a follow up to the much-resisted nuclear deal between India and the United States, which in effect ended three decades of sanctions imposed on New Delhi for conducting nuclear tests. The deal had in fact made India’s path toward attaining civil nuclear technology easier. The government is of the opinion that the energy-poor nation would get civil nuclear power once companies come up with reactors as a result of the deal and the subsequent passage of the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill.

The Nuke Bill, if passed, would cap the liability of foreign companies at about $450 million in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant. It would also make the operator and not the supplier liable for these damages, says a report.

India’s major political parties who are now in the Opposition benches cite the disaster of 1984 in Bhopal when a gas leak at the Union carbide factory had kill more than 8000 hapless people. One major reason for the opposition is the fear that the responsibility for doling out compensation, in case of a mishap, will rest on the operator. India ‘s state owned nuclear corporation and not the foreign companies building the power plants would have to pay up, the opposing parties say.

However, such fears are unfounded, says the government. Pointing out that the Bill has been drafted in line with international norms, the government says that India looks at being part of an international regime, now that the nation has been allowed to participate in international civil nuclear commerce and trade.

With the deferment now, it remains to be seen whether the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill would take some convincing to do so that the government has the last laugh. The Opposition parties, however, are not prepared to relent.