Barotiwala, March 30: The Barotiwala border became the site of intense sloganeering on Monday as residents and transport unions protested a looming increase in entry taxes. The move by the Himachal Pradesh government to more than double the entry fee for private vehicles has sparked fears of widespread economic disruption across the border regions.
Doon Tempo Operators Union members joined local Haryana residents in labeling the tax hike as a “drastic measure” that targets the working class. The union asserted that the transport industry cannot absorb these additional costs and declared that the state’s borders would be effectively sealed from April 1 if the government fails to intervene.
“The hike will directly impact small-vehicle drivers and the transport business,” union officials affirmed during the protest. They stated that the escalation from Rs 70 to Rs 170 for private cars is particularly damaging for the thousands of workers who commute into the BBN industrial zone for employment.
The protest caused significant traffic delays as demonstrators blocked vehicle access to the state for an hour. Leaders of the movement maintained that their next phase of protest would involve a mass march to the capital, where they intend to surrender their vehicle keys to the Chief Minister as a mark of collective defiance.
Authorities noted that the situation remained peaceful but tense, as protesters declared they would not accept the implementation of the new tax structure.
