Nuclear liability may be doubled to Rs 1000 cr

In a move aimed at addressing concerns of opposition parties over Nuclear Liability Bill, a parliamentary committee is set to recommend doubling of the compensation cap to Rs 1000 crore.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, which has held marathon deliberations on the controversial Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010, is expected to present its report to Parliament on August 9.

Sources said the committee is expected to recommend that the cap for compensation in the case of a nuclear accident should be enhanced to Rs 1000 crore from Rs 500 crore, which was proposed in the bill.

The committee, headed by Congress MP T Subbirami Reddy, is also expected to recommend that there should be adequate provision for the liability of the supplier of material to the atomic plants in India, they said.

These have been the key issues of concern raised by the opposition parties, including BJP and Left. They have been resisting the proposed law, accusing the government of trying to benefit the foreign suppliers.

The committee is also likely to suggest extend the period of victims claiming damages from the current up to 10 years from the time of a nuclear incident to more than 15 years.

Clause 18 of the Bill states that the right to claim compensation for any nuclear damage caused by a nuclear incident shall extinguish if such a claim is not made within a period of 10

years from the date of incident.

During the marathon meeting of the committee on Tuesday, Rajendra Badwe, Director of the Tata Memorial Centre, is understood to have said that the full effects of cancer caused due to exposure to radiation take 10-15 years to be known.

The final meeting of the committee is scheduled to be held on August five when clause-by-clause analysis of the Bill will be taken up. Prior to this, one hour has been set aside to hear the views of the Secretaries from the ministries of Labour, Agriculture, Environment, Health and Law.

The committee had a four-and-a-half hour marathon meeting today and members had expressed the desire to have "litte more clarification" from government officials before going into the clause-by-clause analysis.

Meanwhile, Indian insurance companies have expressed readiness to provide insurance cover to nuclear facilities upto Rs 400 crore and the balance would be arranged from foreign companies.

The committee has held 25 meetings to deliberate on the Bill. Secretaries from 16 government departments, experts in law, environment, nuclear science, representatives of industry, NGOs and trade unions have appeared before it.

A section of the committee members have underlined that the passage of the Bill was crucial for international civil nuclear cooperation and not just to benefit American companies.