The Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation, Customs and Excise, Islamabad, has started analysing data of transshipment companies to detect unauthorised bonded carriers operating across the country.
Sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday that the DG intelligence would reconcile the transshipment data pertaining to 2006-07 for allowing only authorised vehicles to transport transshipment consignments. The performance of transshipment companies during this period would be reviewed to identify suspended carriers by the directorate.
They said that the board has issued directives to the collectors of customs and DG intelligence for taking precautionary measures to keep a check on bonded carriers. Collectors of customs would place a new system to monitor the time period of movement of bonded carriers. The normal time for transshipment vehicles to reach respective destinations would be put in place. The system would generate alert signal in cases where the bonded carriers failed to reach the destination within the specific time period, sources said.
The customs officials are empowered to extend the time period in cases of unavoidable delay in the transshipment of any goods. This extension would not be allowed on account of scarcity or non-availability of transport unit to a carrier under the rules. However, 'alert signal' would avert chances of misplacement of containers during transportation.
It is important to mention that the incidences of missing containers during transportation process happened in past. In certain cases, containers were offloaded during the transshipment process to avoid the customs authorities. Later, these containers were untraceable due to the absence of any tracking system. In view of such incidences, the DG intelligence wanted to examine the carrier's data and use tracking devices to constantly check containers during transportation.
Sources said that the Collector of Customs, Preventive, Karachi and Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) would monitor the transit and transshipment data, sealing and de-sealing of containers and tracking of bonded carriers.
According to sources, Collector, Appraisement would provide details of the licensed bonded carriers along with particulars of the vehicles to the Terminal Operators; Pakistan Customs Computerised System (PACCS) and PRAL. It would ensure that unlicensed carriers should not operate under the new documented system.
Under the procedure, the board had made it mandatory for bonded carrier to use only such vehicles/trailer units for transshipment having permanently installed/fixed tracking device to monitor vehicles used for transshipment purposes.
The bonded carrier will be allowed to use only such vehicles/trailer units, which have a permanently installed/fixed tracking device of a reputable company.
The vehicle, truck and trailer units shall have a permanently installed/fixed tracking device capable of showing the location of the said vehicle or trailer at any given time as well as a track of it route and stoppages etc as and when required by the customs monitoring system at Karachi.
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