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India’s “Nuclear Liability Bill” – a subsidy to USA business

“There is no legal liability of the foreign reactor supplier even if it supplies faulty and substandard equipment.”

Nuclear bill is hidden subsidy to US firms, says Left LittleAbout – from Indo-Asian News New Delhi, March 16 : The Left parties Tuesday urged MPs to reject the civil nuclear liability bill, saying it amounted to giving subsidies to US suppliers of proposed nuclear plants while disregarding the interests of the Indian people.

The government was to introduce the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill, which seeks to cap the liability of nuclear plant operators and equipment suppliers in case of an accident, in the Lok Sabha Monday but withdrew it at the eleventh hour.The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and three other Left parties said in a joint statement that the legislation “is being pushed by the government because of pressure from the US equipment suppliers and investors put through the US administration at the highest levels”.”The US has made a precondition that India must put a cap on liability of the nuclear operators and virtually remove all liabilities of the equipment suppliers before it delivers on its promises in the India-US Nuclear Deal.”That is why the Fuel Reprocessing Consent, claimed to be a done deal by the proponents of the nuclear deal, has yet to be agreed to by the US…

The Left statement added that “the nuclear liability regime being proposed… is nothing but a huge hidden subsidy to the US equipment suppliers. In order to promote private nuclear power plants and favour US equipment suppliers, the government is willing to sacrifice the interests of the Indian people”……

“The government is also unwilling to tell the people either the cost of those reactors or the cost of electricity to be produced from such imported reactors.”

Under the bill, the financial liability for a nuclear accident will be capped at only 300 million SDRs (Rs.2,142.85 crore), the statement said. Beyond this, the affected people will not get any compensation for either loss of life, health damages or damages to property and environment……

“There is no legal liability of the foreign reactor supplier even if it supplies faulty and substandard equipment.”

Nuclear bill is hidden subsidy to US firms, says Left

March 17, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, India | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, radioactive