Mau: Even as curfew remained in force in the riot-hit Mau town of Uttar Pradesh, the authorities today allowed residents to come out and collect essential commodities, including medicines and milk, following an improvement in the situation.

The residents were allowed to come out between 1000 hrs and 1200 hrs to collect medicines and other items being distributed by the district administration.

''The situation is tense but under control and tight vigil is on to prevent any escalation,'' Deputy Inspector General Azamagarh Range Rajendra Pal Singh told UNI.

He said that round-the-clock patrolling was being ensured in the sensitive areas and a total of 350 arrests had been made so far.

No incident of violence had been reported in the last two days though an ''uneasy'' calm prevailed in Mau, where seven people were killed in the riots which broke out on October 14, leading the authorities to impose an indefinite curfew in the town.

The trains services via Mau were yet to be restored and a fresh decision was likley by this afternoon in this regard, a Railway Spokesman said here.

Meanwhile, controversial local MLA Mukhtar Ansari, against whom the criminal case was registered for inciting the people and murder, is reportedly out of the district. The administration had conducted raids to nab him.