Cuttack, Jan. 5: Vehicular traffic on the National Highway No. 5 today came to a grinding halt for nearly 40 minutes following a protest by the BJP's youth wing against irregularities in the distribution of ration cards in the city.

The BJP Yuva Morcha activists were demanding a judicial probe into the irregularities in the city. Though the protest lasted for only 15 to 20 minutes, it took police nearly 40 minutes to streamline the traffic on the busy stretch at Madhupatna. This junction on the NH-5 acts as a connecting link among various destinations and is also the entry point to Cuttack from Bhubaneswar.

Additional deputy commissioner of police Sudarshan Sethi said the police took over 50 youth activists into preventive custody after the protests, while nearly four platoons of cops were deployed to maintain law and order.

"We want a judicial probe as most of the ration cards issued under the National Food Security Act have been cornered by the senior leaders and other loyalists belonging to the BJD," said BJP's youth wing president Biswanath Jyoti.

Jyoti said that though former mayor Anita Behera had tendered her resignation for securing a ration card for her family, the way it was approved in haste in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation's council meeting yesterday was totally undemocratic.

The roadblock by the BJP sparked off resentment among commuters as they were stranded on the highway.

"I had come all the way from Khurda to attend an urgent civil dispute case in the high court. Due to the strike, I was unable to appear for the case and had to request for another date," said Kishan Sahu, a commuter.

"Both sides of the service road leading to the city from Gopalpur and Sikharpur were blocked due to the protest at Madhupatna junction. I was stuck for over 40 minutes on the highway," said Prakash Pradhan, another commuter.

A civic body official said Behera's resignation had been notified to the state government and the State Election Commission for necessary action.

"As we have already notified the vacancy of the posts of mayor as well as the councillor from ward No. 21, the state government will take the final call on the issue," said municipal commissioner Gyana Das.

Das said so far ration cards of nearly 519 ineligible persons and applicants, including 362 applicants who had earlier applied for self-withdrawal, had been cancelled.