Himachal: Transport unions stage protest against ATS, roads blocked

April 6, 2026

Dharamsala: Transport unions in Himachal Pradesh on Monday staged a protest. The Protest was against the government’s Automated Testing Stations (ATS). Union members blocked roads for commercial vehicles and disrupted travel for tourists and locals in Dharamshala.

Protest against ATS 

Various transport unions, whether they are private bus operators or truck operators, including taxi unions, have joined hands to raise their voice against automated testing stations (ATS), which are being established by the government in one place in a district.

Why are unions protesting against ATS 

The transporters are saying that ATS in Kangra district is established in Rani Tal, which is very far from them. Some of them have to travel more than a hundred kilometres, and it is a waste of time and resources as well. Moreover, people at ATS centres are overcharging for many things.

Thakur Mehar Singh, president of the Ex-Servicemen Taxi Union, said that the government has consistently overlooked the demands made by the unions of commercial vehicles despite giving several memos.

“This strike is against ATS. We have already given memorandums many times, but the government is not listening to our demands. We are demanding the manual passing of vehicles, and if they want to implement ATS, then this should be established at several places. At present, it is very far from Dharamshala,” he said.

He also accused ATS centres of overcharging for essential items. “The yellow strip, which we used to get at just Rs. 100, but at ATS centres, they are charging Rs. 500 for it. Similarly, they are also overcharging for fire extinguishers and first aid kits. So we are on strike, and we are stopping commercial vehicles today. It’s a one-day strike, but if they don’t listen to us, we will be forced to continue it,” he added.

Impact of strike on locals and tourists 

The strike by unions is affecting everyone’s schedule, including tourists in the state. Harsh, a tourist, added that their entire plan has been shattered due to the strike, as no vehicle can be hired to reach his hostel, which is 2 hours away.

“We are facing a strike right now. We travelled throughout the night in a bus, and we are quite tired. Our entire plan has shattered. We had booked a hostel which is two hours away from here. We cannot hire even a scooty or taxi cab,” he said.

“The protesters are not allowing any commercial vehicles from all the states here in Dharamshala. So we are planning to track now. So we’ll also try to find out some hotel at nearby locations, and we are also feeling hungry,” he shared.