Bhadrak: Trouble-torn Bhadrak town witnessed gradual restoration of peace after the administration relaxed the curfew for four hours from 8 am to 12 noon Sunday giving a major relief to the residents.
While daily wagers from other districts left for homes in droves, residents were seen venturing out of their houses and purchasing vegetables and rations amid all-out efforts to bring back peace.
Amid heavy police deployment, senior police officials had a brainstorming on the situation with vegetable and ration supplies to the town having been halted.
Significantly, the curfew relaxation brought a major relief for scores of daily wagers, who had been going through a harrowing time without proper food and water. After curfew relaxation, thousands of daily wagers hailing from various parts of Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts reportedly left for their homes.
Local residents said hundreds of people along with their families from Thakurmunda, Manoharpur and Keonjhar used to work in construction sector here, but since the communal violence, they were left stranded. The migrants were panicked due to arson and widespread tension between the two communities in the town, locals added.
Some locals said all kinds of construction works were affected while there was no work available for the daily wagers, who had no way but to leave the town and its outskirts.
Sunday morning, all streets looked deserted. Collector Ranjan Kumar Panda, sub-collector Narottam Behera, and other administrative officials discussed ways on how to normalise the situation, ensure supplies of vegetables like onions, potatoes, rations and other essential commodities to the town, where denizens have been facing a lot of trouble for severe shortage.
Members of traders’ bodies, local traders and civil supplies officials were asked to take necessary steps to ensure supplies of essential commodities, to stop their black-marketing and help vendors open their shops.
Reports said efforts were on at various levels to restore normalcy in the town even though some locals said it will take at least a month to make everything normal.
Tension is still simmering in some areas. Sunday afternoon, Rapid Action Force and 25 platoons of police conducted flag-march at several areas.
Vegetables vanish in a jiffy
Traders, who had old stock of vegetables, were thronged by customers after curfew was relaxed Sunday. For the last three days, vendors had not procured fresh vegetables. There was a kind of stiff competition among customers to buy even decomposing wilted vegetables. Their stock of old tomatoes, biter gourd and brinjals vanished within minutes at Ghosara and other locals markets.
Milk not available in town
People faced severe shortage of milk. The residents were seen riding their bikes to Nalang and Ranital, 10km away from the town, to buy milk packets. Locals lamented that the situation has taken such a turn that they had to spend `30 on petrol to buy a packet of milk worth Rs 20.
Filling stations thronged
Minutes after the curfew relaxation, filing stations in the town witnessed a huge inrush of bikers and four wheelers for petrol and diesel.
Delivery boys had a tough time dealing with the unprecedented crowds at Post Office Chhak and Aradi Chhak filling stations. Police personnel found it tough to control traffic at the time. PNN