FFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (NS- I & III)
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU CUSTOM HOUSE, NHAVA SHEVA
TAL- URAN, DIST- RAIGAD, MAHARASHTRA- 400 707

F. No. S/22-Gen-43/2015-16 AM (I)                                                 Dated:15.07.2015

OFFICE ORDER NO.83/2015

Sub: Ensuring quality assessment, while ensuring trade facilitation- reg.

Attention of all the Appraisers and Deputy/Assistant Commissioners of Customs, in charge of Assessment Groups under the jurisdiction of Nhava Sheva- I to V Commissionerates is invited to the fact that despite several directions in the past for taking due care, while raising query at the time of assessment of Bills of Entry, it has been observed that frivolous, irrelevant, invalid queries are being raised at times, which result in expansion of dwell time for clearance of the consignments and in turn can lead to harassment of the genuine importers. This defeats the basic purpose of assessment as well as trade facilitation.

2.    The basic purpose of assessment lies in safeguard of revenue and ensuring compliance of policy provisions relevant to a particular import. If the assessing officer is satisfied with the declarations and self-assessment of the importer, the self-assessment needs to be verified accordingly and has to be done expeditiously.

3.    In terms of Section 17(3) of the Customs Act, 1962, the proper officer may require the importer/exporter to produce any contract, broker’s note, insurance policy, catalogue or other document and to furnish any information which is relevant for assessment.     Thus, the assessing officers can raise queries for ensuring quality assessment. However, queries need to be appropriate, genuine, relevant and absolutely necessary to verify the assessment.

4.    In a recent public meeting, it was pointed out by members of the trade that some of the Appraising Officers are often rude, unhelpful and whimsical in their approach. Some of them cause unnecessary delays in assessing Bills of Entry and raise meaningless queries.

5.    In view of the above:

(i)    Appraisers and Deputy/Asstt. Commissioners of Customs in charge of Assessment Groups shall ensure that no query be raised without merit. All queries be raised promptly, without undue delay and be resolved in a time bound manner.

(ii)    Deputy/Asstt. Commissioners of Customs in charge of Assessment Groups shall review the pendency of long standing Bills of Entry in queue till date and periodically monitor such pendency to ensure that no query should remain pending for more than 48 hours and in any case not beyond 5 working days.

(iii)    All the jurisdictional Addl./Joint Commissioners of Customs, in charge of the Assessment Groups, shall monitor the daily pendency of Bills of Entry and the query list of pending Bills of Entry in respective Assessment Groups. Further, they shall hold an ‘Open House Meeting’ on every Monday from 11:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs for redressal of the grievances of the trade in this regard. Public Notice is being issued separately for this purpose.

(iv)    Each Deputy/Asstt. Commissioner of Customs in charge of Assessment Groups shall submit a weekly dwell time report of his/her Group to Commissioner concerned through Addl./Joint Commissioners of Customs, in charge, on Monday morning.

6.    All AO/AC/DC need to appreciate that the expeditious and proper clearance of Exim goods is a key factor in “Ease of Doing Business”. All of us have a responsibility to ensure that legitimate trade is not hampered or delayed in any manner. We have to collectively endeavour to reduce dwell time and transaction cost for exim trade.

7.    These directions need to be adhered to strictly and any deviation in compliance of the same shall be viewed seriously.

8.    These directions are applicable to all Assessment Groups in NS-I to V

9.     This issues with the approval of the Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai- II,
JNCH, Nhava Sheva.

  –sd–
(15/07/2015)
(SEEMA JERE BISHT)
COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS, NS- I & III
(IN- CHARGE APPRAISING MAIN, IMPORT)
JNCH, NHAVA SHEVA

Copy to:
1. The Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai- II, JNCH, Nhava Sheva
2. The Commissioners of Customs (NS- II, IV & V), Mumbai- II, JNCH, Nhava Sheva
3. All Addl./Joint Commissioners of Customs, Mumbai- II, JNCH, Nhava Sheva
4. All Deputy/Asstt. Commissioners of Customs, Mumbai- II, JNCH, Nhava Sheva
5. All Appraisers/Superintendents posted in assessment groups/export assessment,
Mumbai- II, JNCH, Nhava Sheva
6. Website of JNCH, Nhava Sheva