Manali: Section 144 was imposed in Manali town on precautionary basis after the taxi union of Manali went for chakka jam yesterday late evening.
Even after the taxi drivers of Manali had called off their strike scheduled for today after they received assurance from the administration to fulfill their demands, the taxi drivers staged a chakka jam on the national highway on Sunday evening. The Taxi union blamed the administration of cheating them and giving them false pledge.
Drivers sat on the highway and raised slogans against the government and the district administration. The taxi operators gathered on the highway at 6 pm on Sunday and announced to stage chakka jam. Police teams also rushed to the spot. Police officials tried to convince them to find a solution by talks but all in vain.
Raj Kumar Dogra president of Himachali taxi union while speaking to Hill Post said that the administration had assured them to open online permits at 12 am, but the window opened at 5pm, adding that the 1500 vehicles which were blacklisted by administration , would remove the vehicles from blacklist.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh had come to Manali Sunday to inaugurate the four-day-long district-level Red Cross fair. Operators blamed that administration gave them false assurance only because Pratibha had come to Manali to save their face. Long queues of vehicles and traffic jams were witnessed.
The traffic on Manali-Chandigarh, Manali-Rohtang and Manali-Kullu highway had come to complete standstill. The tourist had hard time to reach their respective hotels.
H.R.Barwa SDM Manali told to Hill Post that to prevent any unto incident in town the section 144 has been imposed in Manali town.
Sanjay Dutta, an engineer by qualification but is a journalist by choice.
He has worked for the premier new agency Press Trust of India and leading English daily Indian Express.
With more than a decade of experience, he has been highlighting issues related to environment, tourism and other aspects affecting mountain ecology.
Sanjay Dutta lives in a village close to Manali in Kullu valley of Himachal.
