The overnight blockade of the Durgapur Expressway that runs beside the Tata Motors small car plant and railway lines at the nearby Kamarkundu railway station in Singur, was lifted at noon today, though the dawn to dusk bandh continued.

CPI (M) supporters, who were demanding that the Tata Motors factory reopen after the announcement by Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata last evening that the Nano plant was to be wound up, decided to lift the blockades as it was pay day, Hooghly CPI (M) District Committee member Dibakar Das.

Since many factories in the area were to pay wages and bonus ahead of the Durga Puja festival today, it was decided to lift the Durgapur Expressway and railway blockade, Das said.

"The blockade of the expressway and the Kamarkundu railway station would have prevented workers from collecting their pay and bonus, therefore we decided to lift it," he said.

Meanwhile, a CPI(M) leader, Uma Ghosh, who had gone to visit his relatives at Beraberi was assaulted at the Beraberi Bazar.

Das claimed that Ghosh was beaten up by Trinamool Congress supporters.

A police complaint has been filed, he said. Beraberi is one of the areas from where land was acquired for the Tata Motors project. The bandh since 6:00 am, meanwhile, was continuing.

The blockade was, however, to be lifted at Sanapara, where there was a 2 km line of Kolkata-bound trucks on the Durgapur Expressway. Sanapara is half a kilometre from the main gate of the Tata Motors plant.