Baripada: Hundreds of vehicles, including interstate trucks carrying essential goods, were stranded on National Highway 49 in Mayurbhanj district for nine hours Monday due to a blockade, police said.
More than 200 people put up roadblocks near Bangriposh ghat demanding a widening of the highway into four lanes over a 6-km stretch in the area. The highway connects Kolkata to Mumbai.
“There was no untoward incident during the protest,” Bangriposi police station inspector Sanjay Kumar Panda said.
Bangriposi Sachetana Nagarik Mancha had convened the 12-hour blockade over the rising number of road mishaps, which claimed more than 10 lives in the last three months, convenor of the outfit, Sanjay Kumar Agarwala, said.
The area is congested leading to increased vehicular queuing, he added.
The agitation was lifted at 3 pm, following an assurance from the authorities that they would discuss with the National Highways Authority of India on Thursday about ways to improve traffic movement.
PTI