Request to discontinue posting of Appraisers from Mumbai Customs Cadre of Appraisers at ICD SHB Surat and other formations of Gujarat Zone Customs

F.No. Ref. No. AIACEGEO/Deptt.Comm./01/2020                                     Dated : 29.06.2020

 

To

The Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs

Gujarat Zone.

 

Respected Sir,

            Subject : Request to discontinue posting of Appraisers from Mumbai Customs                                   Cadre of Appraisers at ICD SHB Surat and other formations of Gujarat Zone                                     Customs – reg.

 

            It is respectfully submitted that since inception of ICD SHB Surat, Expert Officers were posted here as this formation was dealing with import of precious and semi-precious gems and jewelry. Such Expert Officers were appointed by UPSC till 1998 for Mumbai Customs Cadre and were then posted to ICD SHB Surat and other such formations of Gujarat Customs Zone. Post 1998, recruitment of such Expert Officers were discontinued however posting of Appraisers from Mumbai Customs Cadre was continued on rotation basis. As of now, most of the Expert Officers recruited through UPSC have either proceeded on superannuation and/or have got promoted and now working as Additional Commissioner or above.   However, posting of Appraisers in ICD SHB Surat and similar formations handling precious/semi-precious gems has been continued and these appraisers are trained to handle such precious/semi-precious goods through crash course at the expenses of the department.

 

2.         During re-organisation of Customs Zones in 2014, CBEC vide Letter No. A-11019/08/2013-Ad.IV dated 16.10.2014 again allocated Appraisers to the effect that Mumbai Customs is a feeder cadre to provide a total of 55 Appraisers for Gujarat Customs. Such Appraisers now posted to ICD SHB Surat or other such formations are not expert by virtue of their Recruitment Rules but they are trained through crash course on departmental expenses.

 

3.         Further, Inspectors were already being posted at ICD SHB Surat and Superintendents have also now been posted to ICD SHB Surat as well training has also been/is also being imparted to the Customs/Central Excise Officers of Gujarat Zone to handle precious/semi-precious gems and jewelry. If the officers of Customs Gujarat zone are posted to these formations of Gujarat Customs, the unwarranted expenses of payment of TTA to the officers of Mumbai Customs Cadre may be avoided and those officers would also be saved from their far away forced transfers to different places. Imparting training to the local eligible officers is far more convenient than to imparting on job training to the outstation officers.

 

3.         In view of the above, we seek intervention of your honour to take up this issue with Board to discontinue such practice so that our own Gujarat Zone officers may get accommodated at such stations of relevance, which, in fact, will also result in creation of 55 in cadre posts in Gujarat Zone Customs for which all the officers and staff of this zone will remain obliged to your honour.

Yours faithfully,

 

 

(M.S. PRABHAT)

General Secretary

 

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Copy for information and necessary action to :

 

1.      The Hon’ble Member (P&V), CBIC, Govt. of India.

2.      The Principal Commissioner of Customs, Ahmedabad Customs.

3.      The Secretary General, AIACEGEO.

 

 

(M.S. PRABHAT)

General Secretary