Bharuch: The National Highway at Bharuch witnessed a severe traffic jam on Wednesday, stretching over three kilometers, as local bus operators staged a protest at the Mulad-based toll plaza. The protest was triggered by the ongoing toll collection from local vehicles(of Bharuch district RTO passing), including buses used for transporting workers to local industrial units.

The Narmada River Cable Bridge, constructed in 2017, had initially seen toll collection begin about eight months after its opening. At that time, local residents were granted a waiver from the toll charges. However, with the introduction of FASTag, tolls began to be automatically deducted from even local vehicles, causing frustration among the locals. To address this, a separate lane was created for local vehicles, which was initially exempt from the toll.

Recently, however, the toll authorities placed FASTag scanners on this dedicated lane, resulting in toll deductions from local vehicles’ FASTag accounts. Despite multiple representations from the locals, including transporters who operate buses for laborers and staff working in nearby industries, the issue remained unresolved.

In protest, the locals parked their buses along the road next to the toll plaza, bringing traffic to a standstill for several hours. The protest caused significant disruption, leaving thousands of commuters stuck in the traffic jam.

Police eventually intervened, clearing the blocked roads and facilitating a discussion between the toll authorities and the transporters. Authorities have agreed to hold a meeting to find a resolution to the issue, in hopes of preventing further disruptions. DeshGujarat