Standing committee to give report on nuclear liability bill on Wednesday

The parliamentary panel examining the nuclear liability bill is all set to finalise its report tomorrow amid indications that the BJP and the Left would be moving dissent notes if their concerns are not met.

Amid government's keenness to get the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill passed by Parliament during the current session, the standing committee on Science and Technology is virtually rushing through to complete its report, notwithstanding the reservations of opposition members.

The report of the committee will be presented on Wednesday and soon thereafter the cabinet would consider it if major amendments are recommended, official sources said.

The bill is crucial for operationalisation of India's nuclear cooperation agreements, particularly with the US, and the government wants to put the law in place before president Barack Obama comes here in November.

The committee has held over two dozen meetings within a span of two months but differences persist within it.

Members from BJP and Left are demanding that the proposed legislation should have a provision for substantial compensation in the event of a nuclear accident, instead of a cap of Rs500 crore.

They are also pushing for ensuring liability of the supplier.

As the differences continued, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee held separate meetings with the leaders of the BJP and the Left last week to find the common ground.

The government has decided to go ahead with the Bill and plans are afoot to extend the current Monsoon Session by a week beyond August 26 to get the legislation passed.

While the BJP wanted no limit on the compensation to be paid by a nuclear operator, the Left parties had suggested that it be pegged at Rs2,400 crore.

The BJP also insists that all "no fault compensation" to be settled at the level of the claims commissioner without leaving any room for appeals in civil courts. However, it is open to claims of negligence being heard in higher courts.

Official sources have indicated that it was ready to accommodate some concerns of the opposition which included creation of a national fund for paying compensation in case of a nuclear accident.

BJP also wanted the government to clarify on whether the bill was being enacted simply to meet requirements of international treaties, which India may like to be party to in the future.

It was this question that had held up finalisation of the report of the parliamentary standing committee on Science and Technology and Environment and Forests. The committee was to finalise its report on July 24 but had to be granted extension as it failed to reach a consensus.

The opposition leaders had expected the government to revert to them after hearing their views but in absence of any such move they have given clear hints of dissent notes being kept handy in case their concerns on the bill are not met.

Opposition feels that since the government does not have a majority in Rajya Sabha it may opt for convening a Joint Session of Parliament to pass the Bill which is crucial for operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

A similar step was taken by the BJP-led NDA regime to pass the controversial POTA Bill.

The government may also bank on the support of SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati to save the day for the government.