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Customs, Excise Unions Oppose Revamp Proposals

MUMBAI, JANUARY 7: Federations of customs and excise staff are planning to oppose the CBEC's proposed cadre restructuring, which entails a reduction in posts of assistant commissioners (AC), while increasing numbers of posts of other class one officers. The Federations are upset because the move will reduce promotional avenues of their cadres. About 50 per cent of posts of ACs are filled up by group B officers (on promotion) - inspectors, superintendents and appraisers.

Sources in the federations said the CBEC was proposing to increase the numbers of chief commissioners, commissioners and additional commissioners, while reducing the posts of ACs, thus closing avenues of promotion for group B officers. The group B officers will face stagnation in promotional opportunities, the unions have alleged.

The federations allege that they have not been consulted in the process, while even their counterparts in income tax, governed by the CBDT, have been accommodated in the proposals applicable to them. They have also disputed the board's claim that the move will enhance revenue collection, since it is these field formations that do the bulk of the work, they claim.

The federations of group B, C and D, including All India Appraisers' Federation and the All India Central Excise and Customs Executive Officers' Federation are in the process of chalking out a response to the proposals

Indian Express - 08-01-2000