 New Delhi: The parliamentary standing committee examining the civil liability for nuclear damage bill is expected to finalise its report on Aug 17 even as there appears to have been little headway in negotiations between government and the Left and BJP over the proposed legislation.
There are strong indications that the liability bill remains high priority for the government which is working hard to ensure its passage in the monsoon session. It is the single most important legislation apart from finance-related bills that the government hopes to pass in the session.
The Left has not yet indicated if it is ready to yield any ground to the government and work out a compromise even though some of its suggestions like raising the cap of the first stage or no-fault compensation have already found the committee's acceptance. The committee proposes to raise this from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.
BJP leaders said the government was yet to get back over the changes the party would like to see in the bill which it said should be more "India-specific". As things stand, the existing draft incorporating many suggestions on which there is a broad consensus in the committee is likely to be adopted on Aug 17 with Left possibly submitting its dissent note.
Committee sources point out there might be some change in the bill's aims and objectives statement which points to international commitments like the Convention on Supplementary Compensation. Both BJP and Left have objected to linkage with CSC -- an international liability regime which helps member nations tap a common fund in the event of a nuclear accident.
Once the standing committee on science and technology submits its report to Parliament on Aug 16 recommending changes in clauses relating to the "right to recourse" or the operator's option to pursue liability with the supplier and raising the time limit for filing of a claim from 10 to 20 years, the government will have to clinch negotiations with Left and BJP.
If the Left remains adamant, the government is prepared to focus on trying to get the BJP's support as otherwise it would be forced to cut deals with BSP, RJD and SP, an eventuality it would prefer to avoid. The government has pointed out that the linkage to CSC is not cut and dried while the role of the claims commissioner cannot be diluted. The bill gives the claims commissioner proceedings impugnity from a civil court.
With the Opposition insisting that the bill lets suppliers off the hook, the government has been arguing that the intent of the legislation was not being understood. The bill was aimed to ensure that an operator was fully and directly liable and compensation would not get enmeshed in legal processes. It was also pointed out that only big accidents will need compensation amounts of Rs 500 crore while more ordinary incidents would see much smaller payouts.
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