Sector specific analysis of the release time – for the period 01-07-2024 to 07-07-2024-reg. - Customs - Public Notice No. 10/2024

GOVT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPT OF REVENUE OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AIR CARGO COMPLEX CHENNAI VII COMMISSIONERATE , NEW CUSTOMS HOUSE MEENAMBAKKAM, CHENNAI 600 016 Telephone: 2561429, Fax: 044 2256 1445 E-mail: [email protected] website www.aircutomschennai.gov.in F. No. GEN/EDI/UPLD/2/2024-EDI 21-06-2024 Public Notice No. 10/2024 Sub : Sector specific analysis of the release time for the period 01-07-2024 to 07-07-2024-reg. ********* Kind reference is invited to the office memorandum dated 30.05.2024 issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Customs Policy Wing, on the above subject. In the ongoing Sector specific analysis of the release time Bills of Entry /Shipping Bills filed in the 1 week of January were tracked. To have a wholistic and round the year evaluation of the bottlenecks faced at the field level, sector specific analysis of the release time will be conducted from 1 July 2024 onwards. Accordingly, the release time analysis will be conducted for Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills filed during the period 1 July 2024 to 7 July 2024 which will be tracked till their release or 7 August 2024, whichever is earlier. This proposed study will include analysis for the following parameters: For Imports: a. Analyzing as to how to enhance the share of Advance Bills of Entry. b. Study in greater detail the release time and turnaround time for BEs marked to PGAs. c. Measure the impact of Pre-payment Customs Compliance Verification (PCCV) initiative launched by CBIC. d. Analyse the reasons for high share of the time taken in payment of duty. e. Evaluate the Release time for different type of cargo such as perishables, automotives, electronics etc. For Exports: a. Analyse the reasons for high share of the logistics process in the overall export release time. b. Study the intraday work load and the associated average release time. c. Examine the average release time variations at the different CFS of the same seaport. d. Evaluate the Release time for different type of cargo such as perishables, automotives, etc. e. Evaluate the release time for export cargo destined to different locations. The Sector specific analysis of the release time is a potent tool to assess the customs and stakeholders performance. It helps in educating the trade to adopt trade facilitation initiatives of the government and contribute to evidence-based policymaking. For this purpose, regulatory data would be collected from DG Systems involving movement of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills (BEs/SBs), whereas the logistics data, i.e., movement of containers/ cargo would have to be collected from the respective stake holders such as the airlines, the custodians etc., and shall be furnished to the nodal officer in the prescribed data template provided to them. It is to be ensured that the data provided is consistent and complete in all respects. During the previous study the major challenge faced by the study team was regarding the data collection. The data collected regarding time stamps from logistics/ custodians of CFS's were found to be incomplete/inconsistent/inaccurate for several Bills of Entry/Shipping Bills leading to reduced sample size. Therefore, timely and accurate collection of data is requested for success of the study and logistics/custodians are requested that data may be shared in dd:mm:yyyy and hh:mm format for date and time respectively in the prescribed template. It is requested that in cases where data needs to be captured manually, written records are maintained and data is shared according to the manual template and logistics/custodians should check and ensure the same and in case of any difficulty / anomaly, same to be brought to the notice of the nodal officer on the same day. Time stamps at each stage of the process such as time taken for filing of bill of entry, time for filing manifest, and each subsequent stage in the process is required to identify bottlenecks and areas where there is further scope for improvement. This will enable the customs department and the other stake holders such as custodians and logistics services to identify the bottlenecks to enable faster clearance and make India reach the levels of speed and facilitation that are recognized internationally. With this endeavor in mind, customs officers and the stakeholders such as importers, exporters, customs brokers, custodians and airlines etc., should ensure the data requested by the nodal officer of the study is furnished in the accurate format on a timely basis. It is also pertinent to note that the study aims to capture the real time cargo release time in the Air Cargo. Accordingly the study will propose to analyse whether the target of less than 24 hours from the time of import, which is the benchmark for air shipments is being adhered to. This is not merely an exercise to determine the time taken for various processes but also a study to determine what customs and stakeholders are capable of when we are geared up to achieve the goal of fast clearance and analyse what are the parameters which have to be examined critically to decrease dwell time. The exercise therefore requires effective coordination between different sections in the Customs House, PGAs and other stakeholders such as the customs brokers, Airlines, who have to file the manifest on time, the air port authority s custodians such as the AAI, the agencies such as AIASL and Air India and their sub-contractors, and Participating Government Agencies [PGAS]. All stakeholders / PGAs and Officers in all sections including RMSFC, Import Assessment, Export Assessment and Examination are requested that all the extant CBIC instructions shall be followed and to ensure that no special or extraordinary efforts are taken to artificially improve the cargo release time during the said period, which will affect the time release study adversely. The focus of time release is also to measure the cargo release time on the export front as well and the same level of diligence is called for in export clearances. The officers may contact the supervisory officers for guidance in case of any abnormal delays. The sector specific analysis would aim to build on the insights gained from previous studies and further optimize the release times of EXIM cargo across customs formations. The study will encompass the same 15 customs formations studied under the annually conducted NTRS, ensuring continuity and comparability. The proposed study will also analyze the release time for courier cargo at ICT Bangalore. The data template for the regulatory and logistics data set would remain the same as that are of the ongoing NTRS 2024. The bills of entry and shipping bills filed between 01.07.2024 and 07.07.2024 are being taken up for analysis and the study will continue for these bills of entry and shipping bills until their culmination in out of charge or let export, as the case may be. Any local issues that are not seen elsewhere but which are a cause for delay may be flagged by any of the stake holders for inclusion in the study. Further any difficulty relating to sharing of data etc., by the stake holders may be brought to the notice of the nodal officers Rajesh V Shelke, Additional Commissioner [email protected] at and Deputy Commissioner (EDI) [email protected] immediately. This issue with the approval of Pr. Commissioner of Customs, Air Cargo Complex, Chennai-VII. Rajesh Vithalrao shelke ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS Chennai-VII Commissionerate Air Cargo Complex, Chennai