Views / comments regarding new Customs Policy in Gujarat

Views / comments received from members of the Association :

With respect to the change of Customs policy in Gujarat I would also like to write few lines with a request to draw kind attention of the CBEC:

The Chief Commissioner has totally changed the transfer posting policy of Customs in Gujarat. As per new policy, totally inexperienced officers have been posted in customs. Newly recruited Inspectors, who have joined department in 2011 and did not have any experience of the department, but been posted at Custom House, Kandla/Mundra. Rest of
the officers are those officers, who have never worked in customs or worked in customs in past but have longest gap.

Posting of junior most and never worked in Customs at Major Port, Kandla and Mundara is illogical and irrational so far as such place of posting are not at all a place for novice or a training centre. Only well experienced officers should be posted at such places to have check on evasion of duty or mis-declaration of goods etc. The posting on seniority basis (holding Customs experience officers should be allotted only higher ratio) and also on willingness basis would prove more effective tool to curtail any such unscrupulous activities. Junior most officers should be trained and be appraised with the Customs work at Headquarters level, Division level and minor Customs Ports before considering their posting directly to major Customs Houses. The posting like major Customs Houses, ICDs, DGCEI, DRI, Anti-evasion etc. warrants experience holder officers to justify the core function of the department. The policy framed for Customs, in this way, would prove to be ineffective illogical and absurd to curtail any unscrupulous activities or evasion of duty.

In every organization or private sector, it is seen that preference is given to the experienced person and accordingly to his/her experience important work is assigned to them, posting and promotion are offered on the basis of their experience only. Merits counts for them, but here in this new policy framed by the Chief Commissioner, experience have no value and experience holders have been deprived from Customs postings. Preference is being given to the inexperienced officers. Experienced officers who had worked in Customs would be deprived from Customs Posting for a long time and they may not get chance to work again in Customs. Recently many smuggling / duty evasion cases have been booked at Kandla, Mundra & Pipavav Port though, as per new policy, inexperienced officers have been posted at theses ports. Purpose behind posting of inexperience officers at major ports is out of understanding.

The new policy framed would create only dissatisfaction amongst officers, disturbing their family life too. The earlier policy was a balanced policy giving officers the equal opportunity to work efficiently in Department and simultaneously look after the welfare of their family, which too, is the part of their duty. The administration should have consideration for family life too, to improve the performance of the officers. A disturbed man cannot perform good deeds up to the mark. So the administration should reconsider certain points and should make the systems of our department strong instead of opting option to post a novice directly to Customs, that to major ports, Customs Houses. To deprive the experience holders from posting of Customs for a long time would also make them inexperience and their experience all in vain. Therefore, permanent willing Customs staff will be a better option to improve the work efficiency.

These are merely the feelings and suggestions without any prejudice and in the interest of department and welfare of Staff. You are requested to please take-up the matter and draw kind attention of the Board in the matter and make a representation in this regard please.