Shimla, April 6 Traffic was disrupted in several locations in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh on Monday, as private bus, taxi, truck, and auto drivers went on strike, demanding the establishment of a vehicle fitness certificate center in all tehsils of the district.
The protesters, who were shouting slogans against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said that the Road Transport Office (RTO) and Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) offices, which had previously provided vehicle fitness certificates in Kangra, had been shut down.
"The state government has forced us to go on strike," said Ashok Sharma, president of the McLeod Ganj Taxi Union, demanding a written assurance from the authorities that more centers will be established.
He said that there is immense resentment among taxi, bus, and other commercial vehicle drivers, who are now compelled to travel all the way to Dehra to get their vehicles certified.
With Kangra being a large district and Dehra being quite far away, vehicle operators are being forced to stay in Dehra for two days just to complete the vehicle passing process, causing them significant inconvenience, he said.
The movement of private buses, taxis, and other commercial vehicles came to a complete standstill in Kangra on Monday morning.
The protesters warned that if the government fails to accede to their demands, the agitation will escalate and take on a much larger scale.
"We will resort to chakka jam -- blocking roads and highways -- if our demand is not met," said a taxi driver.
BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma extended support to protesters in Dharamshala and said that the government should withdraw its decision to shut down the RTO and MVI offices, as it is unjustifiable and incorrect in every respect.
Kangra Additional District Magistrate Shilpi Bekta and Additional Superintendent of Police Rajinder Kumar Jaswal also visited the protest site in Dharamshala and tried to pacify the agitators.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued later in the day, Congress's Rajya Sabha MP Anurag Sharma and Baijnath MLA Kishori Lal said that the issue regarding Automated Testing Stations (ATS) was raised with Chief Minister Sukhu, and a sympathetic solution to the problem of commercial vehicle owners will be found after his return from Assam.
They said that the ATS project was approved by the Central government. As Kangra is the largest district in terms of population, the facility was established in Ranital (near Dehra), and plans are in place to set it up in other regions as well.
The state government had also written to the Centre, requesting that the old system of vehicle checking by motor vehicle inspectors be allowed to continue alongside the ATS, since only a single ATS facility has been established for the entire state currently. However, the Centre did not accept this suggestion, the statement said.