Customs appraisers postings back to square one

Customs appraisers postings back to square one
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, MARCH 26: Just how contentious postings of appraisers are in the Customs Department is evident from some strange developments last month. Orders of transfers/postings of appraisers in Mumbai issued by the Commissioner, Customs, (General) on February 17, under the orders of the Chief Commissioner G S Tampi, have been stayed on the same day by the Central Board of Excise and Customs.

In fact, three different lists of postings have been issued since December 8, 1999, when the Chief Commissioner signed the order for 109 appraisers, including some of those who were indicted by the CBI in the wake of the surprise checks conducted on the Air Cargo Complex (ACC) on November 17.

There is also a distinct pattern in the changes in the three lists. Tampi's orders were changed first by accident in January by the acting chief D K Acharyya, who was holding charge when Tampi was on leave, and were then reversed by Tampi in February, restoring most of his earlier orders.

Now, this order of February 17 has been stayed and the appraisers are effectively back to square one.

For instance, in the December orders, M A Gomes was transferred from prosecution to imports. In January, he was given export promotion. And by the February 17 order, he is back to imports. Another appraiser, K K Singh, was transferred from imports to Nhava Sheva by the December orders. In January, he was ordered to be retained in imports and by the February order, he was reverted to Nhava Sheva.

The three lists abound with such instances.

In the interval between the January and February orders, the Commissioner (Imports) K P Singh had also ordered further postings within his charge, which has some of the most sensitive units in Customs.

Further, most of the officers named in the CBI FIR following the surprise checks conducted at the Air Cargo Complex in November, were to be shunted out of the ACC by Tampi's orders. While he ordered their transfers to Imports (also a sensitive posting), when Acharyya changed those orders in January, four of them got `General' (which has relatively fewer sensitive posts) but one remained in Imports and was further given the Gatt Valuation Cell.

In fact, officers facing inquiries in the past have also managed to land sensitive postings. J N Meena, who had 18 increments cut following an inquiry, has held positions in Docks and Cargo. By the December orders, he was to be transferred from Cargo to General, but continues to be there (Cargo).

C S Mishra, under inquiry for a case in which he allegedly allowed misdeclaration of garments in Nhava Sheva, has been in key positions for the last two years -- Cargo and then Export Promotion where he has handled DEPB verification for the last six months.

Another appraiser who has a chargesheet against him, has worked in Docks (Mumbai), then Nhava Sheva where he has handled the sensitive DEEC scheme for the last four months.