Left opposes Nuclear Liability Bill

The Left today opposed the Nuclear Liability Bill in the Rajya Sabha asking whether it was the right time to exercise the option of nuclear energy.

"Moving towards nuclear option has to be judiciously exercised. Is this the right time to exercise nuclear option for energy," CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury posed while participating in the debate on Civil Nuclear Liability Bill, 2010.

He said there was tremendous potential for hydro-electric power in the country which was not being utilised even though the cost differential between it and nuclear energy is 1:3.

"For producing 40,000 MW of power, the cost differential (between hydro-electric and nuclear power) would be Rs 3 lakh crore plus," he said, adding this money could go to the youth and development of the country through hospitals and schools.

"There are two Indias - the shining India and the suffering India. Let us help the suffering India with this," he said.

He said there was a "big corporate interest" in this as even though the Bill was for government companies, some entities had 49 per cent private shares.

Noting that the "US interest was implicit", Yechury took a dig at the Prime Minister for not intervening in the debates on price rise and the Bhopal gas tragedy though he intervened in the Lok Sabha on the nuclear liability bill.

He said the government should have a rethink on the issue.

Referring to the Prime Minister's speech in Parliament in 2008, he said Singh had used the expression reciprocity with US in his speech.

"That reciprocity has not been fulfilled by the US. When this has not been done, why are we opening nuclear commerce with the US?" he asked.

Yechury emphasised that the country needed energy but wondered if nuclear energy was the best option. If it was the best option, why was it not exercised earlier, he asked.