A group of farmers on Sunday held a protest at the Ladhowal toll plaza in Punjab's Ludhiana against a recent hike in toll fee and forced the authorities not to charge commuters.

The protest was led by the Bharatiya Kissan Mazdoor Union and the Bharatiya Kisan Union.

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Jagdish Singh said the charges at the Ladhowal toll plaza are the highest in the state.

The toll authorities raised the charges thrice in a year, he claimed and added that the increase put an additional financial burden on people.

Bharatiya Kissan Mazdoor Union leader Dilbagh Singh said this is the only toll plaza in the state where the charges increased thrice in one year.

"When one buys a new vehicle, he pays several types of taxes along with road tax. Then why should people pay toll tax?" he asked.

The protesters demanded withdrawal of the toll charge hike. Police were deployed at the site to control the crowd.

Charges at the toll plaza were raised in April.

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