Chandigarh, Aug. 28 -- In a continued crackdown on defaulters, the excise department has sealed 17 liquor vends across the city for failing to deposit their licence fees, which amount to approximately Rs.5 crore. The department has stated that the vends will remain sealed until the outstanding dues are paid in full, asserting that timely payment is a fundamental responsibility of the contractors. This action follows a similar sealing of several outlets on August 15 for the same reason, with authorities warning that such measures will persist to ensure the recovery of all pending amounts. On Tuesday evening, officials moved to seal 17 outlets with significant outstanding dues despite having issued repeated notices. The sealed locations include vends in Village Maloya, Kajheri, Sector 18, Sector 46, Sector 34 (two vends), Sector 22-D, Sector 22-A, Sector 37, Railway Colony Manimajra, and Kalka Road Manimajra. The issue of non-payment is not new to the current financial year. In May, the department had already sealed 48 of the 96 liquor vends that were allotted for the 2025-26 financial year. At that time, the successful bidders had failed to deposit mandatory bank guarantees totaling nearly Rs.40 crore. All of these 48 vends were opened after they successfully deposited their mandatory bank guarantees. The ongoing enforcement comes amid a backdrop of legal challenges and allegations of cartelisation within the liquor trade. The Chandigarh Wine Contractors Association has alleged that many licenses were secured by a small group of individuals operating through multiple firms, relatives, or associates. Furthermore, the excise policy itself has been challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court, where a case remains pending....