It is disgusting to see that the UPA government is trying to subterfuge the democratic process to clear the Nuclear energy bill. Ironically, while the U.S. administration discussed the India-U.S. Civilian nuclear agreement threadbare in its Congress and ensured India’s perpetual dependence on the U.S. by adding the Hyde Act, our policymakers are eager to give India’s lucrative nuclear industry into the hands of the U.S. on a platter by hook or by crook. That the government has gone to the extent of safeguarding the foreign suppliers by adding the words ‘and’ and ‘intent’ in the draft of the bill is shameful. As a result, the victims would have to prove, to be eligible for compensation, that the supplier of the equipment had made the supplies “with the intent to cause nuclear damage.” Any supplier can easily escape the liability of compensating the victims by proving that the accident was not intentional. The Manmohan Singh government should think about the enormity of the human loss if and when nuclear accidents were to occur, and should stop deceiving the people.
Syed Sultan Mohiddin
Kadapa, A.P.