Petrol price rise: Shops shut across Himachal

Shops and commercial establishments were closed across Himachal Pradesh Thursday morning as activists of the ruling BJP and the CPI-M protested the hike in petrol prices. However, there was no report of traffic being held up due to the shutdown in the state.

Shops and commercial establishments were closed across Himachal Pradesh Thursday morning as activists of the ruling BJP and the CPI-M protested the hike in petrol prices. However, there was no report of traffic being held up due to the shutdown in the state.

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Over 6,000 shopkeepers in Shimla kept their shops closed. "Keeping in mind the onset of tourist season, we have decided not to halt the traffic. Shops and commercial establishments would be closed during the first half of the day (till 1 p.m.)," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ashok Kapatia told IANS.

Tikender Panwar, a state Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader, said: "The party opposes the price rise as it severely hits the common man."