A change in customs inspection procedure has resulted in containers piling up on the wharf of the Kochi port, say sources in the customs house agents industry. The earlier system only required containers, randomly selected by the authorities, to be detained at the wharf while the rest were allowed to be cleared from the port on completion of relevant formalities.
However recently, the Customs has changed the procedure. The officer concerned would identify a specific bag from among the entire lot of bags stuffed in any number of containers making up a particular consignment. Since the consignee would not know the specific container into which the bag chosen for sample inspection had been stuffed, it meant that all the containers would be required to be detained at the wharf till such time the customs authorities are able to inspect the contents of the sample bag.
As a result, it becomes mandatory for all the containers of import cargo mentioned in a ‘bill of entry’ to be placed at the ramp for inspection. The resultant congestion at the ramp has led to considerable delays in cargo clearance causing demurrage and excess parking charges, the sources added.
Sources in the trading community pointed out that it is not practically feasible to have 100 per cent open inspection for all containers – an effective consequence of the new procedure- in any of the Indian ports due to the huge volume and lack of necessary infrastructure facilities. Moreover, there is no 100 per cent inspection for import containers in any of the neighbouring ports as the counterparts are following random inspection procedure.
With the changed procedure, shippers mainly dealing in raw cashew nuts consignments and newsprint, which are imported in huge volumes, are finding it difficult with the undue time consuming process and the additional cost incurred for the clearance, which the trading community put at Rs 2,500-3,000 a container.
The new raw cashew season has started now in the port and the new procedure is creating undue difficulty to the trade. The representative of the trade had even taken up the matter with the Chairman, CBEC, during his recent visit to Kochi, but no practical solutions could be arrived at. They also urged the Customs officials to restore status quo on the issue.
Customs sources in Kochi port admitted that there are some problems encountered by the trade in clearing of consignments because of the new inspection procedure introduced in the wake of reports of the possibility of explosives and weapons entering Kerala through the port.
Source : Business Line