No more hold-ups at the checkpost

The once-nightmarish customs codes are now a thing of the past. At seaports and airports, cargo consignments will be cleared much faster than the carrier himself.
This has, in fact, been a long-standing demand, by traders, multi-modal operators and logistics service providers, to stop the “harassment� by customs officials, in the name of checking consignments. The finance minister announced that the customs clearance would be based on self-assessment, and selective examination from June 30, ‘04. Industry officials said these moves, especially the termination of 100% checking, would facilitate India’s growing exports.
Further, the FM’s announcement regarding round-the-clock electronic filing of customs documents has made the exporting community upbeat.
From April 1, shippers can go for 24-hour electronic filing of customs documents for clearance of goods, presently available in 9 customs formations and to be extended to 23 by March 31, ‘04. Mark Fernandes, president of Bombay Custom House Agents’ Association (BCHAA), said the announcements, if implemented, would save a lot of time consumed in cargo clearance.
“Self-assessment of the cargo is already being done by various shippers, but there is always the threat of possible audit objections. However, with the various customs duties and payments being streamlined, shippers can reach their foreign customers in no time,� says Mr Fernandes.
An industry official said the government has made electronic filing of documents round-the-clock by networking all customs offices, but processing would take place only during working hours. (between 11am and 4pm)
“Cargo clearance generally takes around three days. But the new initiatives would definitely bring down the time taken for clearance,� said Shashi Kiran Shetty, MD of Allcargo Movers, and vice-president of Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI).
Another important aspect is that ‘speed money’ — bribery at customs — could be reduced when the human interface is reduced.
“So far, the customs used to harass every shipper for the bad deeds of a few operators. When the customs starts selective examination of consignments, it should be kept to a minimum, like in foreign countries. But the customs will have to put in place an excellent intelligent network in order to detect black sheep,� said another industry official.