Mohali, April 2 -- A Mohali-based advocate who took a toll plaza to court over a Rs.30 overcharge - a discrepancy many commuters might overlook - has won relief after a four-year legal battle. Pulling up the Ghulal Toll Plaza near Kharar for overcharging advocate Balwinder Singh Jolly during a same-day return journey in February 2022, the Mohali District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission termed the practice an unfair trade conduct. Calling it a matter of public importance, the bench observed that the issue was not about "a mere Rs.30", but about the toll operator "overcharging large numbers of commuters every day and then refusing to correct the error". The bench comprising president SK Aggarwal and members Paramjeet Kaur and Lt Col JS Bath (retd) ruled that merely ordering a refund would not be enough. It directed the toll operator to refund the excess Rs.30 with 9% interest, pay Rs.25,000 as compensation for harassment and litigation expenses and deposit Rs.25,000 in the commission's Legal Aid account. The operator was further directed to upgrade its FASTag system within 45 days to ensure automatic discounts for same-day return journeys. Jolly, a resident of Phase 10, had travelled by car to Ludhiana crossing Ghulal Toll Plaza on February 16, 2022. While the standard Rs.60 toll was deducted via FASTag at 9.14 am for the onward journey, he was charged Rs.60 again when he returned the same day at 1.46 pm. He contended that for a round trip within 24 hours, only an additional Rs.30 fee should have been levied, as displayed on the toll rate board. Spotting the anomaly, Jolly approached the toll plaza the next morning seeking a refund. However, the staff allegedly refused to assist and spoke in a rude and unprofessional manner, prompting him to move the consumer commission. Allowing the complaint, the commission held that charging Rs.120 instead of Rs.90 for a same-day return journey violated established guidelines and amounted to an unfair trade practice. During the proceedings, the toll plaza authorities failed to file a written reply and stopped appearing before the commission. The National Highways Authority of India also remained absent despite service of summons, leading the commission to proceed ex parte against them. Noting that the conduct of the toll operator "goes uncontested", the commission awarded the compensation to the complainant, while observing that such overcharging could be affecting a large number of commuters, particularly as FASTag users have no manual option to correct or contest a wrong deduction at the spot....