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
16th August, 2022
DO No. 37/CH(IC)/2022
Heartiest Greetings on the momentous occasion of completion of 75 years of Independence! Feelings of patriotism are tinged with pride on seeing the tricolour flying high. Perhaps a touch more so when flying atop a departmental building! As we step into the Amrit Kaal and strive to make India truly developed in the next quarter century, we need to further upgrade our processes, our working and our professional ethos so that we remain ahead of the curve.
We need to introspect and look within to set ourselves ambitious targets and to work towards achieving them. I am reminded of the following verse from the Yajurveda 
— telling us that whatever is in the universe is within us and that our potential is virtually limitless.
With a view to enhancing facilitation of trade across the India-Bangladesh border, a number of stakeholder meetings have been held between Indian Customs and our counterparts in Bangladesh. Last week, it was reported that the Bangladesh Customs Administration has also agreed to overnight clearance of empty trucks coming into India and for expedited clearance of perishable items exported from India. Further, both sides agreed to make Petrapole operational round the clock.
This will go a long way towards facilitation of trade on the India-Bangladesh border and is an excellent example of Coordinated Border Management (CBM), an organized and collaborative approach for greater efficiency in cross border trade. Sincere Congratulations to Chief Commissioner (Customs), Kolkata Zone and his team for their excellent work.
Moving ahead, in a major initiative to use technology for boosting transparency, the Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Nhava Sheva, Mumbai Customs Zone – II and Ahmedabad Customs, launched a pilot project for deploying jacket equipped with cameras for the use of officers during boarding of vessels. Detailed Procedures have been issued for operationalization of the same. The two Zonal Chiefs and their teams deserve encomiums for their initiative.
On the Anti-Smuggling side, the week gone by saw Chennai Customs interdict over 7 kg. of Cocaine & more than 3 kg. of Heroin from passengers arriving at the International Airport. In a separate case, examination of checked-in baggage of an arriving passenger led to the detection of a DeBrazza Monkey, fifteen King Snakes, five Ball Pythons and two Aldabra Tortoises being attempted to be smuggled. Kudos to officers of the Chennai Customs Zone for their hard work.
In another major breakthrough, officers from the Imphal Customs Divisional Preventive Force (DPF), Customs (Preventive), N.E.R. Shillong Commissionerate foiled an attempt to smuggle 69 gold biscuits cumulatively weighing more than 11 kgs. valued at about Rs. 6 Crore and about 2 Kgs. of Brown Sugar valued at about Rs. 2 Crore. Sincere Congratulations to the officers for their dedication.
One of the most likeable features of my present charge is the opportunity that I get for meeting and interacting with colleagues across the organization. While, I endeavor to meet everyone who drops by, there are times when my unscheduled work does not allow me to do so at the earliest. This is certainly not an optimal situation. Going forward, as an experiment, I propose to dedicate an hour – 2 to 3 PM everyday for meeting departmental visitors. Look forward to your feedback and co-operation in this regard.
Before I sign off for the week, I am excited to share with you that Vundela Ramanadha Reddy, an officer of the 2010 batch has successfully completed the Ironman Triathlon held in Tallin, Estonia. The gruelling event included a 3.8 km swim in the chilly waters of the Harku Lake, followed by a 180 km cycling race and finishing with a full marathon of 42.2kms and is an extreme test of endurance which inly the physically and mentally strong can undertake. Well done, Ramanadha! Keep up the good work.
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
