Announcing Rs 3 lakh ex-gratia each to the families of those killed in communal violence in Orissa, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Wednesday said the situation in riot-hit Kandhamal was neither volatile nor normal.

"Kandhamal is mid-way between normalcy and volatility," Patil told reporters after visiting a riot-hit village and a relief camp in Kandhamal.

He clarified that the situation was 'not volatile' because there had been no incidents since some time and 'not normal' as the people were yet to return to villages.

During his visit to Tiangia village where four persons were killed and some houses burnt, Patil could not find many people to speak to about the incident.

"I could not find many people in the village. The people whom we met on the streets did not give any information. The streets were deserted and shops closed. It appeared that houses were also closed," Patil said while narrating his visit to the riot-hit areas.

The Union Home Minister said the roads wore a deserted look because people had left for the relief camp.

"The people are afraid of living in the villages as they feel their life and property endangered," he said.

Condoling the 'unfortunate' incidents, Patil said such incidents should not be repeated as they affected the entire country. "The country cannot afford to give the upper hand to these forces that triggered such incidents in Kandhamal and elsewhere," he said.

He said the Rs 3 lakh ex-gratia would be deposited in the bank account of the next of the kin of those killed in the riot.