Delay and Defective Filing of EGMs Holds up Processing of Drawback Claims by Customs

Mr K M Tiwari, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai Port, and Mr N Sasidharan, Chief Commissioner of Customs, JN Port, have called upon the shipping lines, shipping agents, custom house agents and such stake holders to ensure timely filing of error-free export general manifests (EGMs).

They have said that the Custom House Agents (CHOs) have a great role in ensuring that EGMs would provide fool-proof and error-free information in all respects. The customs officials should correctly inspect and identify the cargo. "We have been taking ruthless action against customs officials who were found conniving in unscrupulous activities," Mr Tiwari asserted.

Mr Tiwari and Mr Sasidharan were addressing an interactive meeting on 'Delay in Processing of Drawback Claims' organized by Indian Merchants' Chamber on May 23.

Mr Sasidharan said that the workload on the customs department had increased manifold as a result of exponential growth in exports, in the face of limited staff strength which was freezed at the level of three years ago. Both the commissioners squarely blamed the defective and delayed filing of duty drawback claims for holding up the processing work of the customs department, resulting in delayed drawback disbursals.

Ms Bhavna Doshi, Chairperson of IMC's Indirect Taxation Committee, who felicitated the commissioners, urged all stakeholders such as exporters, shipping lines, shipping agents, CHOs and customs officials to cooperate with each other and work more diligently to ensure submission of error-free EGMs and IGMs (Import General Manifests), strictly adhering to the prescribed time frame, so that the customs office would be enabled to process and disburse the duty drawback claims expeditiously.