Bhubaneswar, April 20: Property worth around Rs 9 crore was damaged in the three-day spate of violence that took place in Bhadrak town starting April 7, the damage assessment report submitted by the district administration to the state government today revealed.

The damage assessment report prepared by Bhadrak district collector Gyana Ranjan Das was submitted to the revenue divisional commissioner, (central) A.B. Ota today.

During his visit to Bhadrak on April 12, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had directed the authorities to assess the damages within 3 days and promised compensation for the victims.

Das said: "As many as 440 business establishments, including 180 makeshift shops and 10 concrete houses, located in 27 wards of the town were damaged."

Local traders, however, estimate the losses to be much higher. Sheikh Jafar, a shop owner, claimed that he alone has suffered a loss of Rs 2 crore. Santosh Kumar Nayak, another businessman, said most of the shop owners in Chandan Bazar had suffered much greater losses that what the authorities have estimated.

Tension had gripped the district headquarters town after a group of people took exception to some remarks posted on social media. The administration was forced to impose curfew to get the situation under control. Today, the curfew continues to be imposed from 8pm to 6am.

Thirty-eight platoons of security forces including the central paramilitary forces continue to camp in the town.

Kendrapara tension

Inspector-general of police (central division) Soumendra Priyadarshi today visited Kendrapara town, a day after tension erupted over circulation of objectionable posts on the social media yesterday.

The district administration took prompt steps to contain the tension yesterday by blocking the social networking sites for 48 hours.

After chairing a peace committee meeting in the district headquarters town, Priyadarshi said: "The situation is normal and under control."

Five platoons of armed police force have been deployed in the town.