PONDA, Jan. 6 -- Team Herald

Sending a message loud and clear to defaulters, the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) on Monday sealed 24 shops for failing to clear rent arrears amounting to over Rs 2 crore.

The shop owners, who had been defaulting on rent payments for over a decade, had accumulated arrears ranging from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 12 lakh per shop.

Despite repeated notices, the defaulters had been reluctant to pay, citing various excuses. The accumulated interest on the arrears ranged from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for some defaulters. Following the sealing action, shop owners, who had previously dismissed PMC's warnings, expressed shock and began rushing to clear their dues.

The sealed shops, located on the mezzanine floor of a busy mar...