VASCO: Cracking the whip, the Mormugao Municipal Council sealed as many as seven shops in the Vasco market for various illegalities such as failure to clear the outstanding dues.
Mormugao Municipal Council Chairperson Leo Rodrigues said that some shopkeepers had not paid their dues while others were occupying shops which were in the name of deceased persons without completing formalities of transfer and paying the fees.
Rodrigues said that the drive will continue and strict measures will be taken to recover outstanding fees from the shopkeepers and appealed to them to clear their pending dues. He said that the municipality was forced to initiate action as many shopkeepers were taking them for granted and were ignoring the notices and warnings.
According to Rodrigues, in few cases the original owners owning shops in the municipal market had expired and these shops were sublet on rented without paying any transfer fees to the municipality. The MMC issued them notices to asking them to pay their fees within 15 days but they ignored.
He warned that the municipality will continue its drive and will now seal shops without issuing any advance notices. “About 70 shopkeepers have been issued notices asking them to clear their dues failing which the shops will be sealed,” he added.
