Kudankulam row: Anti-nuclear activists questions govt in SC

Anti-nuclear activists criticised government in SC for exempting Russian firm involved in Kudankulam nuclear power plant from paying damages in case of mishaps and fixing Rs 1500 crore as liability.

New Delhi: The anti-nuclear activists on Tuesday criticised the government in the Supreme Court for exempting the Russian firm involved in setting up Kudankulam nuclear power plant from paying damages in case of mishaps and fixing Rs 1500 crore only as maximum liability on plant`s operator. "The Rs 1500 crore liability violates the principle of strict liability based on the foundation of Article 21 of the Constitution," advocate Prashant Bhushan told a bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, appearing for the anti-nuclear activists.

The submission prompted the bench to ask if in case of liability being more than Rs 1500 crore "will it be borne by the tax payers?" "It will be perhaps be the burden on the tax payers," it further observed. The remarks were made when Bhushan argued that not only the Indian operator of the plant, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) will have to bear the liability of Rs 1500 crore but it will also not have the right to recourse. "Rs 1500 crore liability is for plant operator who has no right of recourse if the damage is due to the defect in the reactor supplied by the Russian company," he said. He questioned the foreign company from shying away from the liability. During the hearing, the bench also took note of the submission that the project was cleared without the detailed study about its impact on the marine life. "We would like to see the report on the marine life," the bench said. PTI