OUR STAFF REPORTER LAHORE About 18 policemen received sever injuries on Monday when the Kot Lakhpat Fruit & Vegetable Market vendors and shopkeepers resorted to violence when the law-enforcers tried to enforce the order for shifting the market to its new venue at Kacha. The protest against the governments decision created quite a scene on the markets old premises for hours. The protesters chanted slogans against the Shahbaz government, the district administration and the police. They were so aggressive in their protest that whosoever came their way was assaulted. Many district government vehicles were burnt and officials beaten up. The police earlier tried their best to control the situation through negotiations, but to no avail as the vendors scuffled with them and attacked police vans with stones and bricks. In retaliation, the cops used battons to disperse the charged protestors. They also arrested about 100 protestors and locked them. Criminal cases have also been registered against them. Model Town SP Investigations Shoaib Khurram Janbaz while talking to this scribe confirmed that cases against about 145 violators of law have been registered. They will be produced before a court of law on Tuesday, he added. It may be mentioned here that the government had decided to shift the market to Kachas 1,045 kanal of land, making it one of the biggest markets of the country. It is also being developed according to the international standards. The administration claims that the shifting process was initiated after the consent of the markets officebearers and the traders union. Representatives of the shopkeepers, the administration claims, also met with Additional Chief Secretary Nadeem Hussan Asif, who duly inaugurated the new market on Sunday. However, DCO Ahad Cheema, while talking to media persons on Monday, said that the opportunist vendors who attacked the government officials, burnt vehicles and other properties would not be spared. He said the decision to shift the market was taken with the consent of the true representatives of the traders. They were earlier informed by the district administration that the market was being shut down on its current premises from Monday. After this unanimous decision and their approval, the protest was meaningless. Commissioner Jawad Rafiq Malik said that there were insufficient facilities vis--vis sewerage, transportation and cleaning at the Kot Lakhpat Market. The scenario was causing a massive inconvenience not only for the vendors but also for the consumers. The DCO informed the media persons that the grabbed land of the old market has now been retrieved from the unlawfully occupants. He said that he had received dozens of complaints against those who were charging bhata (extortion money) from the traders. On the other hand, the traders officebearers, including President of the Anjuman-e-Tajran Ch Muhammad Younas and its General Secretary Abdul Khaliq claimed that those who violated the law are not traders. They said that the process of shifting the market was started by the government with the consent of the true traders.