Government of India Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
North Block, New Delhi-110 001
Tel. : +91-11-23092849, Fax : +91-11-23092890
E-mail : vivekjohri.irs@gov.in
Vivek Johri, Chairman
DO No. 51/CH(IC)/ 2022 Dated: 21st November, 2022
Dear Colleague,
He joined the Department way back in 1984. His deployment was at the Mumbai Airport where he was instrumental in a number of sensational seizures. In many ways, a pioneer in his field he ushered a new dimension in the enforcement functions of the Department. He was ‘Hero’ – our first canine.
It is only fitting that the hostel for Canine Handlers in Amritsar, inaugurated last week, is named after him. The hostel is yet another milestone in our journey to develop world class facilities to train and deploy canines for detection of contraband in the most challenging of environments. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the Customs Canine Centre at Attari, Amritsar to watch a demonstration of the keen skills of our youngest members of the Canine squad and interact with their handlers. I was very impressed with their professionalism as also the overall upkeep and hygiene of the facility for which the officers of Amritsar Customs deserve rich compliments.
My trip to Amritsar also afforded a chance to visit the “Smriti Vatika” at Attari a most fitting tribute to our colleagues who fell to the Covid-19 pandemic – many in the line of duty. It was a poignant moment which allowed me to express gratitude to the departed on behalf of all of us. Congratulations to Delhi Customs (Preventive) Zone, for this very thoughtful gesture.
With the mellowing of the season in Delhi, it is time once again for setting up our pavilion at the 41St India International Trade Fair. As a curtain raiser to the pan-India events planned for the first half of December this year, we have chosen the theme – “60 Years of Customs Act. 1962”. On the occasion, a logo for the celebrations, emphasizing our dual role as a facilitator as well as sentinels of the economic frontiers of the nation was launched. This is aptly captured in the motto, 
Taking the theme forward, our pavilion seeks to engage our stakeholders and features helpdesks, interesting events such as Street Plays, ventriloquist shows and activities for children as well as a special counter for guiding youth about the career opportunities in the Department. Heartiest congratulations to Director General, Directorate General of Taxpayer Services and his team for giving an excellent account of the Department at the Fair.
The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) organized their Annual Conference in Chandigarh, last week. I was happy to be part of the Conference in which productive discussions were held on emerging trends in tax evasion, use of technology for detecting frauds and use of digital forensics as an investigation tool.
Our Customs formations play a significant role in maintaining Coastal Security. As a means of testing our preparedness we participated in Exercise Sea Vigil-22, a two-day Coastal Defense exercise. The exercise included contingencies ranging from Peace to War-time across the entire coastline and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the country. Further, mitigation measures in cases of any breach in the Coastal Security mechanism were validated. Customs Preventive Commissionerate, Mumbai Zone III represented the Department in the exercise which saw our surface maritime assets along with those of other security agencies deployed across the coast.
In another example of our close co-ordination with other maritime security agencies, the Indian Coast Guard organized a capacity building exercise onboard the ICGS C-430 for officers of Visakhapatnam Customs. The exercise included topics such as sea interdiction, boarding 86 rummaging and inter-operability of the two agencies.
As the chill in the air increases, I hope you all are taking care of your near and dear ones and of yourself. Stay warm.
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes 86 Customs
