Eight days after the Trinamool Congress laid siege to the Tata Motors car plant site blocking the Durgapur Expressway, one flank of the vital highway was opened to traffic today.
Four stranded trucks moved out as a trial run by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) which has been directed by the Calcutta High Court to free the Expressway, official sources said.
Some vehicles were also moving along the stretch of Expressway blocked since August 24 due to the indefinite dharna launched by the Trinamool Congress demanding return of 400 acres acquired for the Tata Motors Nano project to farmers.
About 4,000 trucks carrying perishable and essential commodities were stranded on the Expressway for the last eight days unable to reach Kolkata.
The 76-km expressway is a part of NH-2 connecting Delhi with Kolkata.
The West Bengal government has said it would not like to use force to lift the blockade on Durgapur Expressway and favoured resolving the problem through discussions.
