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Obama’s visit to India panicking Indian govt over Nuclear Liability Bill

According to the new draft, an Indian operator of a nuclear supply can sue the supplier only if the supply in question was made with the intent of causing nuclear damage.……As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is keen on the passage of the bill before US President Barack Obama’s visit to India, the government will take a call on the issue in the next two days.

BJP to oppose diluted Nuclear liability bill – The Economic Times, 23 August 2010, NEW DELHI: With the Cabinet diluting the right to recourse of the operator to sue the supplier in the event of a nuclear accident, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again moved into the ‘nay-sayer’ column and vowed to defeat the civil nuclear liability bill in Parliament…..
The latest version of the bill, cleared by the Cabinet on last Friday, made the right to recourse nearly impossible for the Indian operator. According to the new draft, an Indian operator of a nuclear supply can sue the supplier only if the supply in question was made with the intent of causing nuclear damage. “The nuclear incident has resulted as a consequence of an act of supplier or his employees, done with the intent to cause nuclear damage, and such act includes supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard services”. In other words, the operator will have to prove that the supplier intentionally caused the accident. …..
The new bill clearly shows that amended 17(b), cleared by the Cabinet, tried to shield the supplier. “In the name of removing the ‘and’ in 17(a), as suggested by the standing committee, the government has rewritten 17(b), effectively throwing the baby out with the bath water. The formulation of 17(b) proposed in the amendment is in fact worse than the provision contained in the original bill,” a statement issued by the Left parties said.
They also charged that this provision was incorporated to help the suppliers. “The dubious intent of the government is further exposed by the addition of Clause 7(1) proposed as amendment, through which it seeks to ‘assume full liability for a nuclear installation not operated by it’ (i.e., private nuclear installations) even as the standing committee had categorically recommended that there will be no private operator of nuclear installation. This paves the way for a massive subsidisation of the private players in nuclear power by the government, as and when they are allowed to operate,” the Left parties said. ….
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is keen on the passage of the bill before US President Barack Obama’s visit to India, the government will take a call on the issue in the next two days. BJP to oppose diluted Nuclear liability bill – Politics/Nation – News – The Economic Times

August 23, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, politics | AUSTRALIA, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology