Siliguri, Oct 23 (IANS) West Bengal's Siliguri city Wednesday witnessed a silver rush as hundreds of people jostled among themselves to lay their hands on millions of tiny silver-coloured balls scattered all along the national highway.

Traffic came to a halt as tea garden workers including motorists, auto drivers, cyclists, rickshaw-pullers and even the government staff joined a mad scramble to collect the balls that possibly dropped from a passing vehicle.

People were seen collecting the balls till late evening.

Ganesh Toppo of Singhia Jhora Tea Garden said: "We saw millions of tiny white objects scattered on the streets and soon went to collect it. It might have fallen from the vehicle that had crossed towards Siliguri."

With the news spreading, the mad rush for the silver balls only multiplied.

Some people were found running with their family members to collect the objects, calling them "Diwali gift" from god.

Anand Karmakar, a local goldsmith, said the metal seems to be real silver, but Siliguri Deputy Commissioner of Police O.G. Pal said the balls were not silver but silver-like.

In July, similar silver balls were scattered around a road in Kolkata's satellite township Salt Lake.