SHILLONG, June 7 - Curfew was relaxed for seven hours today in the 14 �vulnerable� areas here as no incident of violence was reported from any part of Shillong in the past 24 hours, a senior district official said.
District authorities will also examine the possibility of relaxing the night curfew imposed in the entire State capital, he said.
�The clampdown on the 14 affected areas under the Lumdiengjri Police Station and the Cantonment Beat House, has been relaxed from 7 am till 2 pm today,� East Khasi Hills district Deputy Commissioner PS Dkhar said.
Mobile Internet and messaging services, however, continue to remain under suspension as a precautionary measure, Dkhar added.
On Wednesday, too, the authorities briefly lifted the curfew in the �vulnerable� areas of the Meghalaya capital. Governor Ganga Prasad urged the people to maintain peace.
Shillong has been in the grip of violence since May 29 following a fight between residents of the Punjabi Lane area, also known as the Sweeper Colony, and drivers of the State-run buses.
Heavy security was deployed across the city in view of the clashes that injured over 10 people, including policemen and CRPF personnel.
The situation in the State capital has shown signs of improvement over the past three days, said another district official.
�Barring the 14 vulnerable areas, life has returned to normalcy to a large extent in the State capital,� he said.
Taxis are plying normally on the streets and shopkeepers were seen doing brisk business at Bara Bazaar and Police Bazaar areas this morning, the official stated.
�Tourists were also seen taking pictures and loitering around the Golf Course and Ward�s Lake,� he added. � PTI
