16112026-TTB-01.qxd 11/16/2026 12:08 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 316 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA RAHUL CAN’T COME TO POWER BY DEFAMING INDIA: SHAH >> NATION /thetribunechd MANN REJECTS NHRC SAFETY CONCERNS OVER BUS CRASH >> PUNJAB ‘NICE TRY’: EISENKOT REBUFFS BIBI’S UNITY GOVT PITCH >> WORLD 16 YEARS AFTER LEAVING INDIA, LALIT MODI BECOMES UK CITIZEN >> BACK PAGE monday | 16 november 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com US signals Quad leaders’ meet Govt may convene special Parlsession from Nov 20-22 on sidelines of ASEAN Summit Likely to bring Bill linking women quota with delimitation PM Modi leaves for Manila today; Trump to arrive tomorrow Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 15 Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for Manila on Monday for the ASEAN and East Asia summits amid the possibility of a Quad leaders’ meeting, after the US said it was working to formalise the gathering on the sidelines of the regional meetings. US Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson said Washington was working to formalise a Quad leaders’ summit during the ASEAN Summit in Manila, raising the possibility of a meeting involving Modi, US President Donald Trump, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. “...we are working to formalise a Quad leaders’ summit at ASEAN next week,” Johnson said in a post on X, highlighting the intensification of Quad-level engagement under US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Johnson said Rubio had met Quad foreign ministers five times in the past two Quad Foreign Ministers met in October on the sidelines of G20 meet in US. years, including three meetings in the past six months. He also said Rubio’s first official call after taking office was to his Quad counterparts and that regular monthly meetings of Quad sherpas were being held. Trump is scheduled to arrive in Manila at 5.30 pm on November 17, the final day of the ASEAN Summit, according to Philippine media reports citing the organisers’ schedule. His late arrival could see him miss the East Asia Sum- Polluted Bahadurgarh worsens NCR haze as 76of87unitsfailchecks THE TRIBUNE SPECIAL mit, though he is expected to participate in the ASEAN-US engagement and hold bilateral talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr before travelling to China for the APEC Summit. Modi will arrive in Manila on Monday evening and attend a gala dinner hosted by Marcos and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos. The Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit on Tuesday. Maritime security, trade and regional stability will remain central to India’s engagement with the 11member ASEAN bloc, as New Delhi seeks to deepen its strategic presence in Southeast Asia amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pacific. India is keen to enhance maritime domain awareness, explore coordinated patrolling and expand cooperation against piracy and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The two sides have designated 2026 as the Year of Maritime Cooperation. Trade will be another major focus, with India-ASEAN commerce reaching around $122 billion. New Delhi is pushing for an early conclusion of the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement, while pursuing bilateral trade facilitation initiatives with individual member states. The summits will also review the implementation of the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discuss regional and global security challenges. continued on page 9 Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 15 The government is likely to convene a special session of Parliament between November 20 and 22, with sources aware of developments indicating that it may announce the winter session tentatively in the second week of December after proroguing the special session. Sources informed that in the special session, the government may bring the Constitution Amendment Bill linking the 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha with delimitation, even though the BJP-led NDA government does not have the required numbers for it. The indication has come even as the Congress-led Opposition has been questioning the intentions of the government for not proroguing the monsoon session, which was adjourned sine die on August 13. The Tribune has learnt that though the government is keen to convene a special session of Parliament to bring in the aforementioned Constitution Amendment Bill, going by the current TRIBAL PRIDE Tribune News Service Hisar, November 15 As many as 76 operational industrial units out of 87 that were inspected by an NGT panel in the National Capital Region (NCR) town of Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district have been found flouting environmental norms. The inspection was done by a joint committee on the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Delhi. It is no surprise that Bahadurgarh continues to be among the most polluted cities in the country. The progress report by the joint committee was submitted to the Principal Bench of the NGT in the matter on October 19. The NGT, acting on an application filed by a resident, Harinder Kumar, on August 14, had directed the state government to form a joint committee to inspect the industrial estate and determine the actual compliance position. The joint committee comprising Bahadurgarh SDM Abhinav Siwach, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Regional Director Narender Sharma, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) Regional Officer Sunil Sheoran, and Director, Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Chandigarh, Dharmender Kumar Gupta, inspected 114 units in different categories located in the HSIIDC Industrial Estate in Bahadurgarh. The committee found 87 units operational out of 114, the report stated, adding that HSPCB had served showcause notices to 76 units. The notices are served for closure under Sections 31-A, 21 and 22 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, Sections 33A, 24 and 25 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and imposing environmental compensation under Section 5A of the EP Act for non-compliance under the provisions of the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2016. Most of these industries are related to footwear manufacturing and plastics. Some of these units have not installed effluent treatment plants, besides other violations. The report commented that the estimate in the application that about 2,500 units are operating in the HSIIDC Industrial Estate in Bahadurgarh seems to be correct, as 2,448 industrial plots/units exist in the estate and all are occupied. The report stated that the operational status of the units, except 485, is yet to be ascertained. Out of 485 units, the HSPCB has categorised 85 units as red, 267 units as orange, 128 units as green and five as white. As per the CPCB norms, the red units are marked as having high pollution potential, orange units are moderate to high, green are identified as low and white are categorised as having continued on page 9 strength of the Lok Sabha, it does not have the numbers. As of now, there are 540 seats in the Lower House, with three seats lying vacant. A constitutional amendment requires the support of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting. In the current Lok Sabha, this will mean that the government will need 361 votes if all 540 members vote. However, as of now, the BJP-led NDA has a combined strength of 305 seats, which is well short of the magic figure of 361. Even if the support of the eight MPs of NCP-SP is taken into consideration (with its Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule on November 14 saying that her party was, in principle, willing to support the BJP’s proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats in every state by 50 per cent under the Tribune News Service MAMMOTH TASK AHEAD exist in the HSIIDC Industrial Estate in Bahadurgarh. ■ As many as 114 were inspected by an NGT panel and 87 were found operational. ■ Out of those, 76 were found non-compliant with environmental norms. ■ “The exercise to inspect all the industries is a time-taking task,” says Jhajjar DC Varsha Khangwal. The government may announce the schedule for the winter session, which is likely to be convened from the second week of December. Pb Cong sets up 4-member panel toinductturncoats ■ 2,448 industrial plots/units Deepender Deswal WINTER SESSION IN 2ND WEEK OF DECEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi plays the khartal, a traditional instrument, alongside President Droupadi Murmu as tribal artistes perform during an event to mark the 151st birth anniversary of freedom fighter Birsa Munda, observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, at the Parliament House Complex in New Delhi on Sunday. PTI 2 of Gurdaspur held for R’sthan rail blast Jupinderjit Singh & Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 15 A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man from Gurdaspur have been arrested for the November 3 blast on a railway track in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district. Investigators said Pakistan-based handlers had honey trapped the woman into criminal activities. The accused, Mehakdeep Kaur and Davinder Singh, were picked up from Dostpur and Chaura Kalan villages in Kalanaur sub-division in a joint operation by the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Sri Ganganagar police and Punjab Police, sources said. The police are likely to share details with the media on Monday. The explosion took place around 9.45 pm on November 3 near Ramsahaipur on the Anupgarh-Suratgarh line. It damaged the track, broke sleepers and left a crater. A passenger train had passed the stretch about 75 minutes earlier. The Rajasthan police in Sri Ganganagar said Mehakdeep was allegedly in touch with continued on page 9 Chandigarh, November 15 Ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has constituted a four-member panel of senior leaders to profile prospective entrants and candidates before inducting them into the party. The move comes amid the expected entry of leaders from other parties in the coming weeks. In a bid to ensure greater control and better coordination over inductions, the party has appointed CWC member Vijay Inder Singla, Deputy CLP leader Aruna Chaudhary, former MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon and MLA Hardev Singh Laddi to the panel. Pargat Singh said the committee had been tasked with consulting senior party leaders in the respective area, as well as the District Congress Committee president, before approving any induction. This effectively gives the local leadership a formal say in who enters the party, continued on page 9 proposed delimitation exercise, along with the implementation of women’s reservation), along with 20 rebel MPs of TMC, and hypothetically, also the 22 MPs of the DMK (with speculations rife among power corridors that the BJP is trying to reach out to the Tamil Nadu party for support), the numbers reach up to only 355, still six short of 361. Meanwhile, sources aware of the details informed The Tribune that once the special session is held, it is likely to be prorogued. The government may announce the schedule for the winter session, which is likely to be convened from the second week of December. The upcoming winter session is likely to be a stormy one and may witness heated discussions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have raised objections to the exercise and have questioned the functioning of the Election Commission. Demands for removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are also expected to hold centre stage during the session. US seeks 24-yr jail for Nikhil in Pannun plot; defence seeks 12 yrs NEW DELHI: US prosecutors have sought a prison term of over 24 years for Indian national Nikhil Gupta for his role in the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. Gupta has appealed to the judge to give him an opportunity to rebuild his life. His lawyers have sought a 12-year sentence. BACK PAGE Speeding truck falls on car near Rewari; four of family killed GURUGRAM: Four members of a family were killed after a speeding truck overturned onto their car on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway, the police said. A five-year-old child, who was sitting in the middle of the back seat, survived with minor injuries even as the vehicle was almost entirely crushed. INSIDE Bibi Jagir Kaur rejoins SAD;Sukhbirsaysshe will strengthen party BEGOWAL: Senior leader Bibi Jagir Kaur rejoined the SAD in the presence of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal at Begowal on Sunday. Welcoming her back into the party, Sukhbir said Bibi’s return would strengthen the SAD and urged people to support her in upcoming polls. INSIDE Pact on preferential access to US market reached, says Goyal Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 15 India and the US have reached an agreement that Indian products will enjoy preferential access to the American market over those from competing countries, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday. India and the US had finalised the framework for the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement in February. The pact was expected to be signed earlier, but changes in the US tariff regime have led to further discussions on the agreement. “This was already agreed upon by the leaders, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when they announced a broad framework agreement a few months ago. It was recognised that India would get preferential trade access in the US, with lower duties than our competitor nations,” Claims India to get lower duties than rival nations Goyal told reporters. The Commerce Minister is on a two-day visit to Egypt to explore ways to boost bilateral trade and investment. He was responding to a media query on the US assurance that Indian products would receive preferential market access. Last week, an official said the US had offered India a relative tariff advantage over rival countries under the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), with both parties aiming to finalise the first phase of the deal by the end of this financial year. “We will have to see how the tariff structure evolves. We are targeting the conclusion of the first tranche by the end of this financial year. Talks are continuing on both the first tranche and the broader continued on page 9 100 Pb villages get back lifeline as mining-hit bridge reopens after 3 yrs Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service Ropar, November 15 The Algran bridge over the Swan river, damaged amid concerns over years of indiscriminate sand mining, reopened for two-wheelers on Sunday after nearly three years, bringing relief to residents of around 100 villages in the Nangal area. Connecting the Nangal region with parts of Ropar and Hoshiarpur districts, the bridge is expected to be opened to other vehicles within a week, sources said. The reopening marks the end of a prolonged period of inconvenience for residents, who distributed sweets at the bridge to celebrate the occasion. The bridge was constructed in 2002-03 and is approximately 420 metres long. Structural damage to it was reported following heavy rainfall and flooding in July 2023. The damage was later linked by environmental bodies and residents to years of indiscriminate sand mining, which had weakened the bridge’s foundations. An inspection report submitted by the Central Pollu- c m y b Two-wheelers allowed first, full traffic in a week Sweets being distributed to mark the restoration of Algran bridge in Ropar. tion Control Board (CPCB) to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in August 2024 high- lighted the extent of the damage. It stated that five foundation wells of the bridge had become exposed due to erosion of the material surrounding them, while one of its pillars had tilted. The gaps between expansion joints had widened at several places and portions of the bridge slab had also settled. The report also noted substantial erosion around four of the bridge’s 14 pillars and said the possibility of illegal mining in the area between 2021 and 2024 could not be ruled out as the relevant data had not been provided to the inspection team. Following a safety audit, the authorities closed the bridge in December 2023 to prevent accidents. The Public Works Department floated a Rs 17.56-crore tender in February 2025 for restoration work, which has now been completed. The NGT had expressed concern over the damage allegedly caused by illegal mining and the failure of authorities to take effective action against those responsible. In August, it pulled up the Punjab Government over the delay in the investigation into illegal mining near the bridge. It observed that the continued on page 9