Situation further eases in Shillong
Curfew was relaxed for seven hours Thursday, the 14 "vulnerable" areas while prohibitory orders were lifted in rest of Shillong during day time, following improvement in situation in the violence-hit city, officials said. "No incident of violence was reported from any part of the city in the past 24 hours," East Khasi Hills district Deputy Commissioner P S Dkhar said. The Meghalaya capital had been in the grip of violence since May 29 following clashes between local tribals and Punjabi residents. With the situation easing, many holidayers were again seen flocking favourite spots in the city popularly known as "Scotland of the East." The curfew in the 14 affected areas, under Lumdiengjri police station and Cantonment Beat House, was relaxed from 7 am till 2 pm Thursday, Dkhar told PTI. These areas faced the brunt of violence and have been under curfew since June 1. In rest of the city, there were no prohibitory order from 5 am to 6 pm when the night curfew was reimposed as preventive measure, he added. Mobile internet and messaging services, however, continued to remain suspended as a precautionary measure, Dkhar said. After a meeting of senior officials, the authorities decided to further enhance the time for relaxation of curfew in the "vulnerable areas" as well in the rest of the city by two hours today, official sources said. There would be no curfew in the 14 "vulnerable areas" from 7 am till 4 pm today, the sources said, adding likewise in rest of the city night curfew would be in effect from 8 pm instead of 6 pm. The trouble had started with a fight between Sikh residents in city's Punjabi Lane area, also known as the Sweeper Colony, and the Khasi drivers of state-run buses. There was heavy security across the city in view of clashes that injured over 10 people, including policemen and CRPF personnel. Though normalcy is returning, authorities are not taking any chance and have kept the army and para-military on standby. Taxis were seen plying on the streets and shopkeepers did brisk business at Bara Bazaar and Police Bazaar areas during the day. A good number of tourists were seen at famous spots like Golf Course, Ward's Lake, museum and cathedral. Several hotels told PTI that room occupancy has increased over the past two days after it dipped substantially in view of the disturbance. PTI
