LATEST HAPPENINGS

FEDN/MUM/AM/27/2008

15.02.2008

To
Shri S. K. Singhal,
Chairman,
Central Board of Excise and Customs,
North Block, New Delhi – 110 002.

Sub: Deployment of Superintendents (Prev) for Assessment and Clearance of import goods- reg.

Respected Sir,

In view of the ever increasing volume of Import/Export work at the J.N. Custom House, Nhave Sheva coupled with acute shortage of Appraisers and sufficient availability of experienced Superintendents (P), the local Administration took decision and posted few Superintendents (P) for examination of Import Cargo at the Container Freight Stations in the public interest to facilitate trade.

It is now learnt that some Appraisers, on the probable consideration that their personal domain is lost, pursued with the higher authorities to consider the revision of the decision of deploying Superintendents (P) for examination of Import Cargo.

In this connection, it is now brought to your kind knowledge that the Superintendents (P) have been successfully working in the SIIB, SVB, CIU, Adjudication, Review, Audit, etc, which are predominantly appraising job and those used to be handled by the Appraisers earlier.

Further, if the present composition of the cadre of Appraisers are closely examined, it will be seen that a large number are yesterday’s junior Preventive Officers, many of whom avoided to take the promotion as Superintendents (P) and waited for long number of years to get the promotion as Appraiser for best reasons known to all. Sir, only change of designation does not over night make a person more knowledgeable.

It is a fact every one knows that the Appraisers are over worked and it is a familiar scene that the representatives of CHAs and Trade run behind the “busy” Appraisers for clearance of their goods. In fact, such a situation has sacrificed the efficiency and at times the Revenue is also sacrificed. There must be rational and work load must be evenly distributed on each Officer so that due care is taken to protect the Revenue and simultaneously facilitate the Trade. The recent case made by DRI, Mumbai at the Air Cargo Complex, Mumbai is one such example of the outcome of irrational distribution of work.

It may also be mentioned that the Superintendents of Central Excise have been working in the fields of Assessment and Clearance of Import as well as Export goods along side the Appraisers in various CFSs and ICDs without any objections or difficulties.

In view of the above, it is submitted that the immediate remedy available to us is to post the sufficiently available experienced Superintendents (P) at all the postings relating to the Assessment and Clearance of Import as well as Export goods at all the Custom Houses all over India and break the watertight wall of divide between the Appraisers and Superintendents of Customs (P) in the public interest, which have been suggested by many number of Committees in this issue.

It is, therefore, requested that the policy of postings the Superintendents (P) for Assessment and Clearance of Import as well as Export goods, as adopted in the J.N. Custom House, Nhava Sheva may be extended to all the Custom Houses and it may be strengthened by posting more Superintendents (P) to cope up with the increased volume of work in a rational distribution of work load.

Thanking you,

Yours Faithfully,

(ANUPAM MAJUMDAR)
PRESIDENT

Copy To:

1. Revenue Secretary, North Block, New Delhi

2. Member (Cus), CBEC, North Block, New Delhi

3. Chief Commissioners of Customs, Mumbai-I, II & III

4. General Secretary, Mumbai, Kolkata, Visakhspatnam