Himachal Pradesh taxi operators go on strike

Taxi operators in Himachal Pradesh went on a three-day strike Monday in protest the proposed hike in commercial taxes by the state government.

Tourists in most of the towns were facing a lot of inconvenience following the strike, Monday morning reports from these places said.

The supply of milk, curd and bread was severely affected in the state capital as the commercial vehicles transporting diary products from neighbouring Punjab have also joined the strike.

The town's daily consumption of milk is around 50,000 litres, most of which is supplied by Punjab's milk cooperative Milkfed. Shimla has a population of 1,69,748, according to the 2011 census report.

The government said it was open for talks to resolve the issue.

"The strike is complete as no taxi is plying locally or on long routes," Jeet Ram, a spokesperson for the joint action committee of taxi and cab operators' unions, told IANS here.

He said the government was planning to increase road and commercial taxes by several times, which would affect their business.

Some of the taxi operators have not joined the strike but have kept their vehicles off the road to avoid any clash with the striking taxi operators.

Reports from Manali said most of the taxis in the town were off the road.