Ropar, Feb 22: A massive protest erupted at the Mehatpur toll plaza today as residents of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh joined forces to demand the withdrawal of a revised entry tax. The state government in Himachal recently increased the levy for non-state vehicles by over 100 percent, moving the fee from Rs 70 to Rs 170.
The demonstrators, representing a cross-section of society including employees and small business owners, argued that the hike would result in thousands of rupees in additional annual expenses for daily travelers. From the Punjab side, the protest was spearheaded by Congress leader Paramjit Singh Pamma and BJP leader Rakesh Pammi, while Himachal residents gathered under the leadership of former BJP state president Satpal Satti.
Satti stated that the entry tax, which was once a nominal charge for maintenance, has now become a punitive measure against those who support the local economy. He affirmed his commitment to taking the matter up with the state authorities, declaring that the tax should be abolished entirely to support the tourism industry. “The current hike is unfair to those who have lived and worked across these borders like a single family,” he noted.
Other speakers at the rally maintained that the economic impact would be felt most acutely by the working class. Subhash Sharma, Punjab BJP vice-president, asserted that the cultural and social ties between the two states are being ignored by the current administration. He declared that while the states were administratively separated in 1966, the daily lives of residents remain inextricably linked. The protesters concluded the day by serving a collective appeal for a rollback, maintaining that the current fiscal policy is detached from the realities of border-town life.
