Dharamshala, April 12 -- Following the recent protests by transport unions, the Himachal Pradesh government has sought permission from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to continue the facility of manual fitness testing of commercial vehicles in Kangra district, officials said.

The Government of India has made it mandatory that vehicle fitness testing (inspection) be conducted through Automated Testing Stations (ATS). The state government has set up an ATS facility at Ranital, which is the lone such facility in the district as of now.

On April 6, several transport unions held a protest at various places in Kangra district demanding more ATS facilities. Officials said that considering practical difficulties, the s...