The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has ruled out supporting any move to dilute the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act. Its Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury pointed out to French Ambassador François Richier that such a step was inconceivable especially after the Fukushima accident.
There could not be any leeway with the rules of the Act as “we are very happy” that while the world woke up to inadequacies in their legislation after the Fukushima melt- down, India had put in place a law that addresses this aspect, Mr. Yechury, who also heads the party’s International Department, told Mr. Richier who called on him on Thursday.
Mr. Richier later told PTI: “I expressed to him our constant position on the liability issue. We respect the law of the country we are working in. We also discussed nuclear cooperation and the issue of liability, which is an important element. As you know, CPI(M) has a strong stand over the liability issue. We spoke about the trend and growing cooperation of the nuclear electricity production.”
Paris’ interest flows from the French civil nuclear giant company Areva having been awarded a civil nuclear park in Maharashtra, where it will set up six reactors.
