Grievance Redressal - CBEC's Customs Manual (OLD) - Customs

Chapter 32 Grievance Redressal 1. Introduction: 1.1 The Citizen s Charter of the Department envisions that the Customs Central Exciseofficers shall carry out their assigned tasks with integrity and judiciousness; courtesy and understanding; objectivity and transparency; promptness and efficiency. The officers are committed to providing every possible assistance to the public and trade in implementation of the Customs policies and procedures. The Department has also taken numerous other measures to ensure that complaint(s)/grievance(s) are minimized and where received, these are attended to promptly. These measures include a grievance redressal mechanism for both cargo clearance and passenger clearance in the field formations of Customs. 2. Grievance redressal related to cargo clearance : 1.1 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) 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. (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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 alongwith 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. (f) 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) Minutes of the PTFC meetings are sent to the Board through DG, Directorate General of Export Promotion on issues having all India implication, if any. (iii) Apex trade bodies are allowed to attend the PTFC meetings along with their local constituents, who are members of the PTFC. (iv) Efforts are made to regularly review the membership of the PTFC with the aim of including all stakeholders in the Customs functioning. (v) 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] 3. Grievance redressal and facilitation measures for passengers : 3.1 At international airports more than 90% of the passengers that have nothing to declare walk through the Green Channel without interaction with Customs. Even otherwise, the Air Customs Officers have been sensitized to show due courtesy and exemplary conduct towards all passengers. However, in case any passenger still has a grievance there are a number of illuminated boards installed by Customs in the arrival/departure halls and in the immigration area advising them to approach the PRO (Customs) for help. Senior officers of the rank of Assistant/Deputy Commissioners of Customs are also available round the clock and can be directly approached by passengers for redressal of their grievances. 3.2 The Notices displayed prominently at the airports also invite the public to lodge any complaint with the Commissioner of Customs or the CVC. 3.3 An Airport Facilitation Committee has been constituted to look into the complaints of the passengers at the international airports. This Committee includes representatives of various agencies working at the airport like IAAI, Customs, Immigration, and Police etc. and meets once a month. ***