Welcome to office, show wallet please

They are first required to sign a register when they arrive at the airportand the “declaration” is duly tallied with the figure they put in whenthey leave the airport. The order enforcing this was issued on January 10and applies to all customs officials at airports. The “cash-and-sign”orderwas conceived by members of the Customs Board in consultation with CentralVigilance Commissioner, N Vittal as part of an endeavor to tackle corruptionin the customs department. Vittal had earlier intervened and ordered thatclosed-circuit cameras be installed in all airports to minimise bribes atairports.

However, the “cash-and-sign” order has met with a lot of resistance fromcustoms officials who had earlier resisted the installation of CCTV camerasand covered them with caps and chewing gum. For one, officials are soreabout the fact that it applies to officials of all ranks. Says a DeputyCommissioner posted at Indira Gandhi International Airport: “I have workedfor nearly 20 years and is my integrity going to be suspect like this now?The board has made us feel like criminals by forcing us to declare the cashwe are carrying.” “If you are corrupt, this order is not going to changeanything. Customs officials will simply connive with agents outside theairport and the money will exchange hands there,” argues a commissioner.Airport Authority of India — on instructions from the CVC — is nowinstalling nearly 200 CCTVs in the four main airports to maintain a vigil oncustoms officials.