Setting up of Help Desk - CBEC's Customs Manual 2023 - Customs

19. Setting up of Help Desk: 19.1 For a renewed emphasis on improving the efficiency of Customs officers as well as their behaviour towards international passengers, it was decided that: (i) The Chief Commissioners of Customs with international airports in their charge shall ensure that every Customs officer newly posted at the international airports mandatorily undergoes training in the relevant rules and regulations as well as in the manner of dealing with international passengers. The emphasis should be on sensitizing the Customs officers to deal with all arriving passengers and especially international passengers in a polite, professional and pro-active facilitative manner. These training programmes should be repeated on 6-monthly intervals. Since multiple agencies function at international airports, it would also be useful to coordinate interactive sessions involving officials of other agencies so that collectively a good impression is made on international passengers. The Chief Commissioner of Customs should coordinate these training programmes with NACEN, but should also take initiative to organize in-house programmes. (ii) Customs should set up a Help Desk in a prominent place immediately after immigration in the arrival hall and similarly in the departure hall of international airports. There should also be a signboard to guide the international passengers to the Help Desk . Further, the Customs officer(s) manning the Help Desk should be properly selected and must have in his/her possession required forms and information to guide international passengers. [Refer Instruction dated 19-9-2014]