Panel on nuclear Bill to give report next week

The nuclear liability Bill was delayed after the parliamentary panel examining the controversial legislation today sought a week’s extension for submitting its report, following strong protests from the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

As a result, the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology scheduled for today was postponed. The panel will submit its report on August 18.

The decision to seek an extension came after top BJP leaders, including L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley had a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the national capital.

“The committee cannot hustle through the proceedings,” BJP leader Jaswant Singh told reporters after the meeting with Mukherjee.

T Subbirami Reddy, chairman of the Standing Committee, also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and was understood to have discussed the progress made by the panel.

Singh asked Reddy to sort out the issues with the BJP and submit its report.

The exact contours of the changes that will be made in the Bill are still unclear but Swaraj is said to be of the view that a separate law for Indian operators — and they are the only ones in the field as yet — of civil nuclear energy should be proposed.

This arises from the BJP’s objections to have foreign investment in this sector. The Left parties have added a dissent note to the report.