Dharamshala, April 11 -- Scores of shopkeepers in Dharamshala shut their businesses and staged a protest on Thursday against the Municipal Corporation's decision to impose a trade license fee, calling it unnecessary and exploitative.

Organised by the Vyopar Mandal Dharamshala, the demonstration saw traders raising slogans against local authorities and elected representatives while demanding an immediate rollback of the order.

The protesting shopkeepers argued that they are already registered under the Shop and Establishment Act and questioned the rationale behind a new licensing requirement. They warned that such re-registration measures would only burden small traders without offering any tangible benefit in return. In a show of unity,...