Shimla, April 1 -- Amid widespread outrage over a sharp hike in the border toll tax, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government on Tuesday said that all non-Himachal passenger vehicles (up to 12 +1 capacity) will now have to pay Rs 100 as an entry fee. The move comes in the wake of vehement protests by people from the neighbouring states over the Sukhu's government's earlier proposal to increase the entry tax for light motor vehicles, including cars, jeeps and vans, from Rs 70 to Rs 130, with Punjab even threatening to ban entry of Himachal vehicles and impose retaliatory taxes. "Keeping the general public's convenience in mind, the government has reduced the toll tax rate for passenger vehicles. Up to 12-seater passenger vehicles from other states will now have to pay Rs 100 as entry tax. The move is aimed at providing relief to commuters and improving accessibility," read a state government notification. The earlier notification had prescribed higher toll rates across vehicle categories, including Rs.130 per day for passenger vehicles (up to 12+1 capacity), Rs.200 for light commercial passenger vehicles, and up to Rs.900 for oversized multi-axle vehicles. The government has now also decided to extend the facility of concessional passes (tokens) to all residents living within a five-kilometre radius of any toll barrier."The government also proposes to issue concessional passes to border residents staying within 5 km of a toll barrier," Congress MLA Hardeep Bawa said. Earlier, this benefit was limited only to residents of Himachal Pradesh staying within five km of toll barrier. Now, residents of adjoining states (living in border areas) will also be eligible for the concessional passes. Additionally, the government has also granted complete toll tax exemption to Himachal-registered commercial light motor vehicles, including taxis. The move follows escalating tensions at border points in Nalagarh and Barotiwala, where protesters from Punjab and Haryana have blocked roads to oppose a steep hike in entry toll effective April 1. Soon after the announcement, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring thanked Sukhu for reversing the hike in the entry tax on vehicles entering the hill state. Warring spoke with Sukhu over the phone to convey his gratitude and later posted on X. "I express my profound gratitude to the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ji for conceding to our request to revert the entry tax for outside vehicles, including those from Punjab", he said in his post. Earlier, the chief minister stated in the assembly that a misinformation campaign was going on, even though the increase in entry tax was nominal for most vehicle categories. Sukhu said he was unable to connect with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on the issue, but managed to speak to Punjab Congress chief Warring and leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa to mitigate the standoff. Sukhu on Monday had attributed the entry tax hike to its integration with the FASTag system on national highways. The BJP staged a protest outside the assembly, demanding an immediate rollback of the recent decision to hike the entry tax. Led by LoP Jai Ram Thakur, BJP members accused the Sukhu government of imposing "ill-conceived" fiscal measures that have sparked tension along the borders of Punjab and Haryana. Thakur said the move could lead to a potential law-and-order problem as transporters in neighboring states have threatened to halt Himachal-bound traffic from Tuesday midnight. Thakur said the proposed tax has caused resentment in the border districts of Una, Nahan, Nalagarh, Kangra, and Bilaspur....