28082026-TTC-01.qxd 8/28/2026 12:43 AM Page 1 13 SITHARAMAN MEETS CANADIAN CEOs BUSINESS /thetribunechd CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 237 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 friday | 28 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com 255 Indians missing, 84 rescued as Nepal flashflood toll mounts to 392 MEA activates 24x7 control room | New barrier lake in China raises fresh flood threat Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 27 At least 255 Indians, including Mansarovar pilgrims, remained missing in Nepal on Thursday, even as 84 Indian nationals were rescued after Wednesday’s devastating flashflood that claimed 392 lives. India intensified efforts to ascertain the safety of those unaccounted for amid widespread communication disruptions. According to Nepalese authorities, 910 persons were still unaccounted for, with rescue agencies continuing search and recovery operations in several affected districts. A fresh flood threat persisted downstream after a new barrier lake formed in China near the source of the Bhote Koshi river system. Authorities warned that a breach could trigger another surge, with around 2 million cubic metres of water trapped in the lake till Thursday morning. In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the preliminary list of 255 “uncontactable” Indians included 40 workers of the Trishuli-I power project; groups of 86 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu travelling for the Mansarovar yatra through two travel agencies; 32 persons from West Bengal stranded at Timure in Rasuwa district; 61 Indians Second tranche of 37.5-tonne relief material being loaded at Hindon airport in Ghaziabad. ANI GOVT SENDS AID 47.5 TONNES of emergency relief supplies Rescue and restoration work underway in the aftermath of the flashflood at Trishuli dam in Nuwakot district of Nepal; and (below) satellite images show an area of Syabrubesi before and after the tragedy. PTI/REUTERS BEFORE GLACIER COLLAPSE THE TRIGGER: USGS ■ Flashflood was triggered by glacial collapse, not by quake, US Geological Survey has said ■ Seismic energy generated by collapse of glacial rock & ice led to the tremor, it added Given the rapidly changing situation, the ministry said its figures were preliminary and subject to revision as contact was established with people in the affected areas. “Communication lines in the area are totally disrupted. Therefore, it has been difficult to get in touch with people on ground,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The Mann refuses talks,mulls action as staff protest over DA, pension US panel questions Bhagwat’s NY visit, flags ‘attacks’ on minorities in India Ruchika M Khanna New Delhi, August 27 The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised concerns over the visit of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to the US, citing what it described as continuing challenges to religious freedom in India and attacks on minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Dalits. In a statement, the US’ independent religious freedom watchdog alleged that members of groups affiliated with the RSS had been involved in attacks on religious minorities. USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood urged Washington to consider targeted measures against individuals it believes are responsible for violations of religious freedom, including reviewing Bhagwat’s visa. The commission also criticised aspects of India’s anticonversion laws, the handling of communal violence and restrictions affecting civil society organisations under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). — TNS Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 27 Lakhs of Punjab Government employees proceeded on mass casual leave on Thursday to press for the pending dearness allowance, the Old Pension Scheme and other service matters. In response, the Bhagwant Mann government decided to act tough. In an electorally charged atmosphere, with the elections to the state Assembly due in a few months and Opposition parties putting their weight behind employees, Chief Minister Mann remained adamant on his stand — “No talks till the strike is called off”. Though 16 union leaders reached Jalandhar for holding talks, even as massive protests continued outside government offices across the state, the Chief Minister made his intentions clear that he would not hold talks because the employees had already proceeded with the protest. Sources in the government told The Tribune that the gov- Punjab Government employees and pensioners protest at the administrative complex in Jalandhar on Thursday. MALKIAT SINGH ernment had conveyed to the union leaders on Wednesday that they should not go ahead with the protest if they wanted to resolve their issues. The refusal of the Chief Minister to hold talks further agitated the protesting employees. The protests at the main Secretariat here and in other cities grew aggressive. The protesting unions have now announced to burn effigies of the Chief Minister across the state on Friday and Saturday. They will hold a meeting in Ludhi- ana on Sunday to decide on their next course of action. As nearly four lakh government employees and 3.50 lakh pensioners took part in the “maha hartal”, the government decided to crack down on the protest by late afternoon. Mirroring its tough stance against the tehsildar and PCS protests in 2023, the government on Thursday directed all administrative secretaries and heads of departments to submit lists of employees who remained continued on page 10 Key dams below 2025 levels as monsoon nears end Lalit Mohan DAM FILLING ENDS ON SEPT 15 Tribune News Service Ropar, August 27 Amid a comparatively weak monsoon this year, the water storage in Punjab’s major reservoirs — Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar — continues to be below last year’s levels even as the filling season approaches its September 15 end. According to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the Bhakra reservoir, the main storage facility on the Sutlej, stood at 1,634.22 feet on August 27 compared to 1,671.49 feet on the corresponding date last year — a difference of 37.27 feet. The reservoir held 3.61 bil- flown to Kathmandu in two sortiesbyIndianAirForceaircraft ■ The relief material includes tents, blankets, solar lamps, dewatering pumps, kitchen sets and generators AFTER from different states travelling through Richa Tours; and 33 persons from Kerala. The ministry said 63 TrishuliI workers and 21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims had been rescued. WATER LEVEL* 2026 2025 BHAKRA 1,634.22 ft 1,671.49 ft 1,680 ft PONG 1,365.67 ft 1,393 ft** 1,390 ft RANJIT SAGAR 1,688.94 ft PERMISSIBLE 1,728.54 ft 1,731 ft (*Figures for Aug 27; **Extra water stored due to flood risk downstream) lion cubic metres (BCM) of live storage and was 64 per cent full this year, against 5.25 BCM and 93 per cent, respectively, in 2025, as per the BBMB. Another 2.05 BCM of live capacity remained vacant. The Bhakra inflow today was 30,452 cusecs, almost half of 58,997 cusecs recorded on August 27 last year. The cumulative inflow since May CHANDRA’S ~22K-CR DEBT CUT TO ~6.5 CR BACK PAGE 21 stood at 3,108,451 cusecs against 4,336,875 cusecs last year. The release stood at 25,518 cusecs, compared to 43,635 cusecs a year ago. Bhakra’s present level is 45.78 feet below its full reservoir level of 1,680 feet, while it is 172.22 feet above the “minimum down level” of 1,462 feet. Sources in the BBMB said the water level was “comfort- able to meet the demands of partner states”. For the past more than a decade, the Bhakra reservoir level never fell below 1,550 feet during the depletion period. The high storage levels had increased the deflection of the dam structure, a situation that would ease if the water level came down from 1,550 feet this year, the sources said. The Pong reservoir is also considerably lower than last year. Its level stood at 1,365.67 feet against 1,393 feet last year, a deficit of 27.33 feet. The live storage was 4.10 BCM (71 per cent) compared to 6 BCM (104 per cent) last year. continued on page 10 c m y b Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is coordinating with the project authorities and Nepalese agencies to establish continued on page 10 edit: himalayan tragedy 4 Naga civilians killed in Manipur ambush Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 27 The ongoing violence in strifetorn Manipur took another turn on Thursday after armed miscreants allegedly ambushed Naga civilians in Kangpokpi district, killing four of them. The incident comes three months after six hostages from the community were killed by unidentified assailants in the state. The incident reportedly occurred around 8.30 am between Makui Ashang and Thanamba Naga, an area considered an important route for Naga communities residing along the IT Road. According to sources, the victims were targeted by armed assailants. At least four members of the Naga commu- nity were reported killed in the attack, while one person sustained injuries. Another person was reported missing following the incident. The attack has triggered fresh tension in Kangpokpi, a district that has witnessed periodic violence since ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur in May 2023. At the time of the filing of this report, the incident had not been officially confirmed by the police. Further details, including the identities of the victims and circumstances surrounding the attack, are awaited. Condemning the incident, the United Naga Council called for a day-long shutdown in all Naga areas and district headquarters from 6 am till 6 pm on August 28. NLSIUconvocation calledoffamidCJIrow BENGALURU: The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, has cancelled its 34th annual convocation for the 2026 graduating batch, citing “unavoidable circumstances”. The move follows opposition from students and alumni to the participation of CJI Surya Kant and BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra at the September 12 event. — PTI Hry suspends forest officerfordutylapses CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Government has suspended IFS officer Jitender Ahlawat, Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Haryana, citing dereliction of duty in addressing public grievances. Sources said the action relates to his termination of a woman forester who allegedly faced sexual harassment and harassment by superiors. INSIDE Amid govt’s delimitation push, Kharge asks PM to freeze LS seats for 25 years Rinku Behera Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 27 Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share with all political parties the government’s proposals for delimitation and called for a 25-year freeze on the Lok Sabha’s existing strength of 543, as well as the introduction of one-third reservation for women from the 2029 elections. In a letter to the PM, the Warns against rushing through Bill, demands all-party meeting Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition renewed his demand for an all-party meeting on delimitation, urging him not to rush through any proposal in Parliament without giving political parties and state governments adequate time to examine its implications. The Congress president’s fresh letter comes amid indications from the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs that a special session of Parliament could be convened, setting the stage for a potentially major political confrontation over the future composition of the Lok Sabha. Kharge said he had earlier written to the PM on July 16, seeking an all-party meeting to discuss the government’s proposed approach to continued on page 10