Days after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began operations at the Bastara toll plaza through a multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling system, villagers living along the site have demanded the resumption of free travel provided earlier.Days after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began operations at the Bastara toll plaza through a multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling system, villagers living along the site have demanded the resumption of free travel provided earlier. (HT Photo)Residents said that before the introduction of the MLFF, they could cross the toll plaza free of cost by showing their Aadhaar cards as residence proof but the new system will impose an additional financial burden on them.Shivank Rawal from Gharounda town said that several locals like him cross the toll daily for short-distance travel to Karnal city.He said that paying ₹270 toll for a double daily journey is an unnecessary expense and the government should exempt locals, similar to the earlier system.On Sunday, Union minister and Karnal MP Manohar Lal Khattar met a group of protesters at the site while travelling from Karnal to Panipat. The delegation demanded complete toll exemption for locals. A few of the protesters also demanded reduction in monthly concessional pass for residents living within a 20-km radius of the toll plaza costing ₹350.Rajat Lather, president of the Karnal Youth Congress and one of the protesters, said that unlike toll plazas in Panipat and Murthal, where local residents are allowed free passage using their Aadhaar, Karnal residents are being unfairly burdened.Khattar assured them that their concerns would be addressed at the earliest as the government is working on implementing a new system under which an annual pass costing ₹2,000 will be issued to commuters, using one toll multiple times in a year.Khattar also met a group of female employees employed at the fee collection and other tasks at the toll plaza. The employees informed the minister that around 35-40 of them were paid ₹11,500 in one shift, but were suddenly left jobless.The minister assured them he would speak to the toll agencies in the region, so that they can be adjusted.Pradeep Malik, project head, NHAI, said that the new scheme for ₹2,000 annual pass will be implemented soon, which will cost much less than the monthly pass of ₹350.He said that operations at the toll were going on smoothly and a process was initiated to remove the old traditional structures to enable smooth driving.The Bastara toll plaza is the first in Haryana to have the barrier-free toll collection system which is done electronically through FASTag and vehicle registration number by high-performance radio-frequency identification readers and automatic number plate recognition cameras.