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India’s Nuclear Liability Bill designed to serve U.S. commercial interests

designed to safeguard the interest of American supplier of nuclear power plant

US pressure behind nuke liab bill: BJP. India Blooms News ServicePatna, June 13 (IBNS) The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has introduced the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill hastily under US pressure, leaving the Indians with a raw deal from any Bhopal tragedy like accident.

The Bill seeks to cap the level of compensation (likely at $450 million) in the event of an accident and makes the operator, not the supplier (US companies like GE and Westinghouse or France’s Areva), liable for it.

“The US pressure is again evident in the hurried manner in which Civil Nuclear Liability Bill has been prepared and introduced,” the BJP said in a resolution passed here on “One Year of UPA II” at its National Executive Meeting here.

“In the context of only public sector being allowed in India to operate nuclear plants there does not seem to be any relevance of the Bill. If it is designed to safeguard the interest of American supplier of nuclear power plant then there has to be adequate provisions for proper compensation and criminal liability in case of any accident,” the BJP said.

US pressure behind nuke liab bill: BJP

June 14, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium