Shimla, Aug. 29 -- Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur offered juice to end the hunger strike of taxi operators on Friday, saying that the state government should stop blaming the central government and address the legitimate demands of the taxi operators, who have been protesting at Shimla's Chaura Maidan, demanding an extension of their taxi permit validity from 12 to 15 years. This comes a day after deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri announced in the Himachal assembly that as an interim relief no challans would be issued against contract carriage vehicles aged between 12 and 15 years until the Centre takes a final decision on the state government's request to extend the permissible age limit. Agnihotri had told the House on Thursday that the state government had taken up the matter with the Union ministry of road transport and highways and urged it to allow contract carriage vehicles in Himachal Pradesh to operate for up to 15 years. The LoP on Friday assured the taxi operators that any necessary support from the central government would be secured and their grievances conveyed to the Centre. Lashing out at the state government, Thakur said, "Instead of engaging in dialogue, the government attempted to forcibly remove the protesters using the police. Suppressive tactics aimed at silencing voices are unacceptable in a democracy." Thakur said, "If the government's intentions are sincere, a solution to any problem can be found. Instead of blaming the Centre for everything, the state government should accept its own responsibility and address the legitimate demands of the taxi operators."...