18. Extinction of right to claim. - The right to claim compensation for nuclear damage shall extinguish, if such claim is not made within a period of--

(a) ten years, in the case of damage to property;

(b) twenty years, in the case of personal injury to any person, from the date of occurrence of the incident notified under sub-section (1) of section 3:

Provided that where a nuclear damage is caused by a nuclear incident involving nuclear material which, prior to such nuclear incident, had been stolen, lost, jettisoned or abandoned, the said period of ten years shall be computed from the date of such nuclear incident, but, in no case, it shall exceed a period of twenty years from the date of such theft, loss, jettison or abandonment.