Karnal, June 30 -- 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. 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 Rs.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. Khattar assured protesters 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 Rs.2,000 will be issued to commuters, using one toll multiple times in a year. Pradeep Malik, project head, NHAI, said that the new scheme for Rs.2,000 annual pass will be implemented soon, which will cost much less than the monthly pass of Rs.350. 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....