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Journalism of Courage
The Centre has decided,in principle,to open up core areas of nuclear power plants for scrutiny by foreign insurance companies so that insurance coverage can be extended to these critical sections,the standing committee on science and technology which is debating the civil nuclear liability Bill was told on Wednesday.
In their deposition before the committee,banking secretary R Gopalan and DAE secretary Srikumar Banerjee,according to sources,contended that the government had given in principle approval to the scrutiny of the innermost segment comprising nuclear reactors by foreign surveyors,without which their insurance was not possible.
Explaining the present status regarding insurance of nuclear power plants,Gopalan told the committee that these critical segments of the nuclear facilities also known as hot area were not insured as government policy until now had been to deny such scrutiny to outsiders. The General Insurance Company,on the other hand,was unable to undertake their insurance as it did not have the capacity on its own while re-insurance by a foreign third party was not possible for the same reason.
Insurance coverage,the officials reportedly explained,so far was extended only to the turbine generators and the balance of plant,while the nuclear island where the reactors were located,remained uninsured.
On Thursday,the committee heard experts including ex-AERB chairperson A Gopalakrishna,Dr Bharat Karnad of PRS Legislative Research,Prabir Puryakayasta of Delhi Science Forum,S Sen and Praful Bidwai of Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace.
The committee will undertake a three-day site visit from July 6 to the Koodankulam nuclear plant and Trombay nuclear facility in Mumbai.
We are doing the best to be transparent and take suggestions from various sectors in the nuclear industry, said standing committee chairperson T Subbirami Reddy. The committee has issued advertisements calling for suggestions from the public to the Bill.
In July,officials from the departments of Health,Environment,Agriculture and Water Resources will be summoned by the committee where they will be asked on the impact on these areas in the event of a nuclear accident. Home Secretary G K Pillai and his team are also expected to be summoned,to brief the committee on peripheral security measures undertaken by the CISF.
