No bonus, no toll: Thousands get free pass at Fatehbad Toll Plaza as workers protest denial of Diwali bonus

Thousands of vehicles breezed through the Fatehabad toll plaza on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway on Sunday without paying a single rupee as toll workers went on strike to protest the denial of their Diwali bonus.

Footage showed vehicles moving through the toll booths freely, with the protest believed to have caused losses running into several lakh rupees for the Union Government.Employees say that salaries are often delayed and claim the company has said to replace them without providing any bonus, according to reports.

On Saturday night, 21 employees from the Shri Sai and Datar companies opened the toll plaza’s boom in protest. The sit-in lasted for 10 hours, and the toll plaza remained non-operational until officials assured them of a bonus.

According to reports, employees say the company had promised bonuses last week, but the amount has not yet been credited.

The expressway, a key route in Uttar Pradesh, provides a direct link between Agra and Lucknow and also connects to Delhi and the NCR through the Yamuna Expressway