AGRA: The traffic looked plain sailing for a road that was infamous for snarls. Many were bemused over the sudden change, and the reason came to light later. The employees of the Agra-Lucknow Expressway route toll plaza decided to stop collecting money in protest against the meager Diwali bonus received. Vehicles were allowed to pass for free for about 10 hours from midnight on Saturday.

There was a dispute between the toll operating company Sree Sai and the employees of Datar Company over the bonus. This year the company had decided to give Rs 1100 as a bonus. However, the employees protested, saying it was paltry compared to the bonus given last year. After long negotiations, toll collection on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway resumed after ten hours with an agreement to give a 10% salary hike.

Last year, employees under another contractor were given a bonus of Rs 5,000. As soon as the news of the protest broke out, company officials and police reached the spot and tried to pacify the employees. The protest lasted till 9 am on Sunday. The protesting employees said that they would continue the strike until all their demands are met.