Govt to introduce Liability Bill in LS

“We are going ahead with it. We will introduce the Bill on Monday or Tuesday. There is no plan to hold it back,” the source said.

The assertion comes despite the fact that the opposition to this Bill is stronger compared to the Women’s Reservation Bill which was passed by the Rajya Sabha earlier this week amidst a ruckus.

The BJP and the Left parties,which had supported the Women’s Reservation Bill,have made it known that they are opposed to the Liability Bill in its present form.

The source conceded that the government was not entirely sure about the numbers at this point but had decided to press ahead with it nevertheless. “As of now,we do not know what its fate will be. But let us introduce it. This legislation is very important,” he said.

The Liability Bill limits the maximum financial liability on an operator to Rs 500 crore in case of an accident. In case,the compensation is assessed to be more than this,the remainder amount is supposed to be paid by the government.

Such a legislation is a necessary precondition for American companies to invest in the nuclear sector of the host country.

Critics of the Bill oppose it on these very grounds,alleging that it is designed as a favour to American companies and that the cap of Rs 500 crore was too low,considering the large-scale damage that any nuclear accident can cause.

The source said the government was yet to initiate a process of consultation with other political parties to garner support on this Bill.

He hinted that this might be done during the three-week recess that Parliament gets into from Tuesday before reconvening for the rest of the Budget session in the first week of April.