The Centre has decided, in principle, to open up ?core areas? of civilian nuclear power plants for scrutiny by foreign insurance companies so that insurance cover 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 contended that the government had given its in-principle approval to the scrutiny of the innermost segment, which comprises nuclear reactors, by foreign insurance surveyors, without which their insurance is not possible.
Explaining the current status of the insurance of nuclear power plants, Gopalan told the committee that these critical segments of the nuclear facilities?also known as hot areas?weren?t insured as the government?s policy, until now, has been to deny such scrutiny to outsiders. General Insurance Company (GIC), on the other hand, was unable to undertake their insurance as it did not 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, was so far extended only to turbine generators and the remaning areas of the plant, while the nuclear island where the reactors were located, remained uninsured.
On Thursday, the committee heard experts, including former AERB chairperson A Gopalakrishna, Bharat Karnad of PRS Legislative Research, Prabir Puryakayasta of Delhi Science Forum, S Sen and Praful Bidwai of Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP).
The committee will undertake a three-day visit to the site from July 6, with tours to Chennai?s Koodankulam nuclear plant the Trombay nuclear facility in Mumbai.
?We are doing our best to be transparent and take views and suggestions from various sectors in the nuclear industry? standing committee chairperson T Subbirami Reddy said after the meeting on Thursday. The committee has issued advertisements calling for suggestions about the Bill from the public.
In the coming month, officials from the departments of health, environment, agriculture and water resources will be summoned by the committee and asked to assess the impact on these areas in the event of a nuclear accident. Home secretary GK Pillai and his team may also be summoned, to brief the committee on peripheral security measures undertaken by the CISF of nuclear installations as well as drills on disaster management in case of accidents.