Customs appraisers to intensify stir

MUMBAI, APRIL 4: Over 600 appraising officers and examiners of Customs, who are on a strike since Thursday to protest against the sacking of their union leader, D N Shukla, have threatened to intensify their agitation.The agitation would spread to other major international trade centres like Delhi, Calcutta and Cochin from Monday if Shukla is not reinstated immediately. This was decided on Saturday at a meeting of the executive committees of the Bombay Customs Appraising Officers8217; Association BCAOA and the All India Customs Direct Recruit and Appraisers8217; Association AICA, attached with Custom House, Airport cargo and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

Clearance of export and import cargo at Mumbai has already been severely affected. According to sources if the agitation spreads the country8217;s entire international trade would collapse. Shukla, who was involved in a case of overvaluation of five shipping bills of readymade garments under the Drawback Scheme in 1990, was found guilty of the charges and removed fromservice with immediate effect, nine years after the incident took place.In a strongly worded letter to the Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs CBEC, the two unions have maintained, 8220;The punishment meted out to Shukla is too harsh and does not commensurate with the alleged offence.8221; Even the inquiry committee set up to investigate the case had concluded that the overvaluation in this case was purely a judgemental error on Shukla8217;s part.

Sources told Express Newsline that punishing any officer for improper valuation of export goods was senseless since there are no guidelines, or any valuation rules to assess the export cargo. 8220;It8217;s very simple. You can buy a shirt for Rs 80 at Fashion Street, but probably end up paying thrice that amount for the same quality shirt in an upmarket garment store. Similarly, the field officers appraisers and examiners are hard pressed to precisely assess export cargo in the complete absence of any guidelines or valuation rules,8221; sources explained.

Theassociations have been urging the CBEC for the last three years to frame guidelines for the assessment of cargo but to no avail. Sources said that appraisers and examiners were often caught in a dilemma. If they pointed out any error in the value of the export cargo as declared by the exporter thereby delaying its clearance, they are reprimanded by their higher-ups for creating unnecessary hurdles. The officers are also forced to clear the cargo despite objections due to the soft stand of the government on export.8220;In Shukla8217;s case, he has been sacked on superfluous grounds that he has not followed the rules, which ironically are non-existent. Since there is not one charge of corruption against Shukla, he should not be penalised so severely for a doubtful technical error,8221; sources said.