CHANDIGARH: In response to a call from the Bharatiya Kisan Union, farmers protesting against the Center’s new farm laws stopped the collection of tolls on most of the roads in Haryana on Friday.
According to officials, toll collection stopped after midnight or early Friday at various toll points in the state.
While in many places, farmers seized toll plazas that did not allow authorities to collect fees from travelers, in other places the toll employees themselves stopped the process in view of the protest. Employees at the toll plaza allowed vehicles to pass without paying any fees.
A few days ago, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) had announced that the toll booths in Haryana would not be able to collect tolls from December 25 to 27.
Farmers stopped the operation of toll plazas on the NH-44 in Bastara in Karnal. They also stopped the toll collection process at another square located on the Karnal-Jind road, at the Khuian Malkana toll plaza in Dabwali in Sirsa district and at Makrauli Kalan on the Rohtak-Panipat road.
However, the toll was being collected as usual on Friday morning at the Kherki Daula toll plaza in Gurugram.
BKU leader Jagjeet Singh Dalewala said a few days ago: “From December 25 to 27, we will not allow all toll booths in Haryana to collect tolls, we will prevent them from doing so.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at various Delhi border points for about a month as the stalemate between the government and protesters, demanding the repeal of the three new farm laws, continued without any sign of progress.
Enacted in September, the three agricultural laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agricultural sector that will eliminate middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
However, protesting farmers have expressed fear that the new laws would pave the way for removing the minimum support price safety cushion and ending the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of large corporations.
The government has repeatedly claimed that the MSP and Mandi systems will be maintained and has accused the opposition of misleading farmers.
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