TOBA TEK SINGH, July 8: City police on Thursday registered a case against 25 shopkeepers of the Talab Bazaar on charges of attacking and injuring the tehsil municipal administration (TMA) staff.

The case has been registered on the complaint of tehsil municipal officer (TMO) Saleem Khan under Sections 506, 186, 148 and 149 of the PPC. Reports said when the municipal administration officials were removing encroachments from the Talab Bazaar area, a group of 25 shopkeepers, led by Shahid Pervez, Javed Jaidi, Rizwan, Inaam and Kaloo Pehlwan attacked the staffers and injured them.

Meanwhile, tehsil Nazim Chaudhry Muhammad Rafiq told newsmen that though the case had been registered, yet the police seemed to be least interested in arresting the accused shopkeepers.

A spokesman for the shopkeepers claimed that the TMA staff started the drive without a prior notice, bulldozed their precious electronics and beat them up. He said the case against the traders was baseless.

TAIL-END FARMERS: Faisalabad irrigation chief engineer Qazi Muhammad Anwar has said that complaints of the tail-end farmers against water thieves will be redressed on a priority basis.

Speaking to cultivators at the district council here on Thursday, he said action would be taken against all those influential farmers who were involved in creating breaches in canals.

Representatives of farmers complained of water shortage in the district, resulting in the low yield. MPA Chaudhry Liaqat Ali Shoukat, district Naib Nazim Haji Ghulam Rabbani, public safety commission chairman Mian Naseer Ahmad and superintending engineer (east circle) Aurangzeb Cheema were also present on the occasion.