No question of nuclear law being diluted to favour US firms, says Dept of Atomic Energy

After reports that the government was trying to bypass sections of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, the Department of Atomic Energy today said that no law will be violated or diluted while signing contracts. “The contracts, which will have to be approved by the competent authority of the Government, will be fully consistent with Indian law. There is no question of Indian law being violated or diluted,” Dr CBS Venkataramana, Additional Secretary at the DAE, said in a statement today. [caption id=“attachment_1120923” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Getty Image[/caption] The DAE said that any future projects will have to meet the highest standards of safety. “This will apply to our projects with Russia, France and the United States,” Venkataramana said. An exclusive report in the Hindu had stated that the DAE had sought an opinion from the Attoney General that could be used to bypass existing law. This was seen as a move to allow the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to ink a deal with US firm Westinghouse for setting up nuclear reactors in Gujarat. However, the DAE said that foreign suppliers and domestic vendors have raised queries over the liability law due to which it had sought an opinion from the Ministry of Law and Justice. The opinion will be examined further by DAE and NPCIL, the statement said. The authority also said that the negotiations with Westinghouse was for a limited range of ‘pre-project services’. “NPCIL will enter into this preliminary contract only with the approval of Atomic Energy Commission and the Government of India.” “This contract, if approved, will not bind NPCIL to enter into a contract with Westinghouse for the supply of reactors without establishing safety and techno-commercial viability,” Venkataramana said.