Nuclear liability bill.....never bend it to corporates!!!

We are shocked at the recent expose’ about the government’s note to the Cabinet Committee on Security asking for overriding nuclear liability for Westinghouse to seal a nuclear agreement with the US corporations during PM’s visit to Washington, undermining all democratic and sovereign institutions of India.

The dilution of the Nuclear Liability Act is being touted as a “gift” to the US. We, the concerned citizens strongly condemn this brazen contempt for a democratically adopted Act by the sovereign parliament of India. To assure the United States that the Government will make sure that the operator (NPCIL) does not use its ‘right of recourse’ against suppliers of defective equipments is a shameless sell out of Indian people’s lives. Earlier, the government tried to placate the nuclear corporations by diluting the Act by framing rules that go against the spirit of the law.

To offer a liability playing field to the international nuclear corporations, whose constant decline has been greatly exacerbated by the setback after the Fukushima catastrophe, actually amounts to selling off Indian people’s lives and safety for nuclear profits. We have not forgotten the criminal record of Dow Corporation in the Bhopal gas tragedy and the shameless episode of Indian politicians letting the culprits go scott-free: both physically and in terms of adequate liability for the horrendous accident.

The Indian government risking its citizens lives even as the crisis in Fukushima has further deepened over last few weeks exemplifies its callousness and the narrow elite interests that it represents. When Japan has been forced to switch off all its reactors and countries like Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy etc have decided to go nuclear free, it is unfortunate that India is choosing to miss the historic opportunity to go for sustainable, renewable, decetralised and equitable forms of energy and shun nuclear power which contributes less than 3% of its electricity production.

We register our strong protest on any further dilution of the Nuclear Liability Act and endangering the lives of common people of India.