The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday asked the Centre to reject the demand by the United States on Civil Nuclear Liability law suggesting dilution of the provision enacted by Parliament.
In a statement, the party Polit Bureau said the U.S. continued to exercise pressure on the Centre to dilute the law.
“This has become evident from the statement made by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Delhi asking India to engage with the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to ensure that the nuclear liability law ‘fully conforms' with the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage [CSC]. The CSC does not provide for suppliers' liability in the event of a nuclear accident,” it said.
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While asking the government to reject the suggestion, the party said the IAEA was only a depository for the Convention and cannot judge a law passed by Parliament.
The party charged the United Progressive Alliance government with vacillating and seeking to accommodate the U.S. concerns, which were primarily the interests of its nuclear industry.
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It said the Civil Nuclear Liability Act was passed in Parliament after compelling the government to accept section 17(b) which provides for foreign suppliers' liability. This national law should prevail over any international convention.
Yet to be notified
It sought an explanation from the government as to why the Act had neither been notified nor the rules placed before Parliament even though nearly a year had passed since it was enacted.
Fukushima disaster
The Polit Bureau demanded that the UPA government firmly adhere to the law as established in regard to nuclear liability of foreign suppliers stating that this was all the more necessary after the Fukushima disaster.
The Japanese government, instead of the private company, which operates the reactors, or the foreign suppliers, was spending billions of dollars after the nuclear accident to clean up and rehabilitate those affected.