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Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) Customs House of the National Board of Revenue blamed the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) for creating hindrances to trade facilitation through making delay in release of imported goods at the customs house.
The directorate is the customs intelligence wing of the revenue board.
The major allegations include locking bill of lading (B/L) of import consignments before submission of bill of entry (B/E) and conducting physical examination beyond standard procedures that cause delay on average three days to 10 days in releasing goods.
Kamalapur ICD Customs House commissioner Mobara Khanam on September 17 in a letter to NBR member (customs policy) Syed Golam Kibria made the allegations and requested the NBR to give instructions to the CIID for extending necessary cooperation for ensuring trade facilitation and quick release of consignments.
The Kamalapur ICD Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association also enforced strike at the customs house in the last three days, protesting against what they said harassment and delay in releasing goods by customs intelligence and irregularities at the customs house.
The C&F agents also refrained from conducting all import and export activities, demanding a quick release of goods and an end to harassment.
The association, however, on Tuesday evening called off the strike from today following an assurance of meeting their demands from NBR chairman Abu Hena Md Rahamatul Muneem.
‘The association has given the NBR 15 days to meet the demands,’ said Dhaka Customs Clearing and Forwarding Association secretary general Md Faruk Alam. He said that the association would launch a tougher movement if their demands were not met by that time.
In the letter, ICD commissioner Mobara said that customs intelligence put a lock on average 10 bills of entry, out of 30 to 40 bills of entry.
The circle office of the directorate also put lock on B/L before arrival of consignments, creating problems for importers and their C&F agents to submit bill of entry, she wrote.
Importers require on average additional three to 10 days to get their B/L unlocked with approval of the directorate for submission of the bill of entry.
Representatives of the customs intelligence also do not sign joint physical examination report, ignoring the previous decision, she added.
These activities hinder the process of releasing import consignments within the expected time that affects revenue mobilisation and importers are also deprived of hassle-free services.
It has also emerged as impediments to implementation of time release study as per instructions of the World Customs Organisation to reduce time and cost of import and export.
Importers have also been making allegations of harassment, delay in release of goods and increasing cost of import due to additional port and shipping demurrage.
According to the evaluation of the customs house, the findings of physical examination for most of the locked consignments by customs intelligence are found either insignificant or similar to the findings of the customs house.
The findings are also putting the main purpose of the customs intelligence to question, the letter said.
Customs intelligence officials, however, said that they took preventive measures on information of probable misdeclaration and duty evasion.
In last one month, they identified 75 such consignments and carried out physical examination of 50 per cent of the consignments.
Customs intelligence found the case of misdeclaration in 80 per cent of examined consignments, they said.
As per a NBR instruction, ICD commissioner Mobara on Tuesday held meeting with the C&F agents association to find an amicable solution to the ongoing crisis.
The association’s secretary general Faruk Alam told New Age that they withdrew the strike following the assurances given by the NBR chairman who virtually joined the meeting.
The NBR chairman assured that he would solve the problems and ease the import process, he said, adding that importers faced huge losses due to a delay in release of goods of on average 15 days to 20 days.
(NA)
