BALASORE: Residents of Balasore municipality heaved a sigh of relief after the district administration informed that the curfew will be relaxed from 5 am to 9 pm on Wednesday.
Balasore collector Ashish Thakare announced the update during a press briefing on Tuesday. The collector stated that vehicular services and the entry of people into the town will be permitted in cases of medical emergencies.
The curfew, initially imposed for a week, had been earlier lifted in the Industrial Police Station area to monitor the situation. The restrictions, however, remained in place in Balasore Town police station and Sahadevkhunta police station areas for several hours over the past few days.
“Internet services were fully restored on Tuesday, and pre-schools, anganwadi centers, and government and private educational institutions have reopened as the situation has come under control,” Thakare stated.
During the curfew relaxation hours, all commercial establishments will remain open to allow residents to access essential services. However, curfew restrictions will not apply to personnel involved in law and order, emergency, and municipal services, including executive magistrates, police, health, electricity, Public Health department, and other authorised government officials.
The curfew was imposed following a clash between two groups over an animal sacrifice issue during a religious occasion in Patrapada under Sunhat. The violence led to 91 arrests and registration of 24 cases across three police stations, based on complaints from both sides and CCTV footage.