Grievance redressal related to cargo clearance - CBEC's Customs Manual 2023 - Customs

2. Grievance redressal related to cargo clearance: 2.1 The clearance of cargo at ports, air cargo complexes, ICDs and CFSs involves interaction of the trade with the Customs officials, which often results in complaints of harassment, corruption, and delays. Thus, to redress these grievances the focus has been to simplify procedures, enhance transparency, sensitize the Departmental officers to their responsibilities, and expand use of EDI in Customs clearance procedures. Some specific measures for facilitation and handling complaints/grievances of trade and industry are as follows: (a) ICEGATE Advanced Helpdesk: Advanced Helpdesk is an online service provided to ICEGATE users to resolve their technical problems and queries so that there should not be any difficulty in using ICEGATE services. End users' calls are handled with special care by the intervention of Helpdesk analysts, Service Area Analysts, Assignees, Shift managers, senior Custom officers so that the end users get quick solutions of their problems and no down time occurs and high service standards are maintained. (b) Management Information System (MIS): A major area of concern for the importers, exporters, Customs Brokers is to get information regarding clearance of their consignments, which has been significantly resolved with the introduction of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) at all major Custom Houses. In all major Custom Houses, a Tele Enquiry System allows exporters, importers etc. to dial the assigned numbers and ascertain the status of the Bills of Entry/Shipping Bills or Drawback claim. This system can also be used on fax mode. Further, supervisory officers of Customs can monitor the delays in clearance at any stage. The system also generates a daily report of all pending Bills of Entry, Shipping Bills, Drawback claims along with the date of receipt and the level at which the document is pending. For this purpose the System Manager looks after all EDI related problems and holds regular meetings with the Remote EDI (RES) users, Customs Brokers representatives, NIC, CMC and other agencies that support the EDI system. (c) Accessibility of Senior Officers: The Chief Commissioner/Commissioners of Customs earmark time on all working days during which any person having any grievances is free to meet the officer without prior appointment. These meetings ensure timely and prompt remedial measures. (d) Public Grievance Officer (PGO): Each Commissionerate has a designated PGO and Public Notices have been issued giving the names and telephone numbers of these officers. These PGO may be approached by the trade and public if their grievance is not being redressed by the dealing officer or his supervisor. (e) Public Grievance Committee (PGC): A PGC is constituted in each Customs Commissionerate, consisting of representatives of trade and industry, Custom House Agents, representatives of Custodians, such as AAI, CONCOR, Banks, Export Promotion Agencies, such as the Garments Exporters Association, Handicraft Export Association, and Chambers of Commerce etc. The PGC meets once in a month to address grievances relating to Customs functioning. In case grievances relate to other agencies such as the Wildlife, NIC or CMC, their representatives are also invited for these meetings. (f) Watch Dog Committee: A Watchdog Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Commissioner of Customs, which meets once in two months. Leading association of trade and industry and other agencies that interact with Customs are included in this Committee along with the senior officers of Customs to ensure meaningful dialogue. This Committee takes note of various procedural delays or problems in general being faced in Customs clearance of export/import cargo or grant of various incentives. Feedback from trade and industry is used for necessary review of procedures and taking measures to remove the difficulties of importers/exporters. (g) Permanent Trade Facilitation Committee (PTFC): PTFCs having membership of all stakeholders function in each Customs station to resolve local issues. As a trade facilitation measure and with a view to encourage stakeholder participation and provide for expeditious resolution of local issues (without these being escalated to the Department/Board), the Board has instructed the Chief Commissioners to ensure that: (i) PTFC are held regularly with minimum of one meeting per month on a pre-decided date. (ii) Apex trade bodies are allowed to attend the PTFC meetings along with their local constituents, who are members of the PTFC. (iii) Efforts are made to regularly review the membership of the PTFC with the aim of including all stakeholders in the Customs functioning. (iv) Chief Commissioners/Commissioners are receptive to meeting local and apex trade bodies even outside the framework of the PTFC. [ Refer Circular No.42/2013 Cus., dated 25-10-2013]