Bad Customs ???
An article published some time ago in The Telegraph of Calcutta containing some venomous attack on the junior customs officers made sad reading. The article highlighted,
++ Implementation of existing law is the toughest job for a majority of customs officers today.
++ For them, the absence of a healthy tradition coupled with ignorance, come as a bliss.
++ Their sole aim is to improve their own status and standard of living. Making a collection for the week or fortnight or month becomes their priority.
++ But who cares for the law, when it can be decided by the customs official on the spot. The inventory would read “used apparels, old books land broken furniture of no commercial value”. No one would know which officer had given such a profound judgment on the goods brought in by a passenger who has the wealth to travel abroad thrice a year, has the cash to pay the freight charges for 600 kgs. And ensure smooth exit down the airport without any customs check and duty.
++ Since security is of no concern to the customs department, as often claimed by senior customs officers themselves, the juniors are the last to be bothered about the nature of the goods passing under their nose.
++ Raw material for chemical warfare or mandrax, heroin or RDXor gun powder, nothing matters to these men, some of whom are keen to earn a healthy return for the investment they have made to buy their job, postings or repeat deployment.
++ As demand of some bosses remain insatiable, the subordinates make the airport a “free port”.
++ If, by chance, these anti-national customs officers do get caught, the “erring” officer conducting the investigation is bound to get punished.
++ This is “the system”, and installation of any other system would amount to the violation of the “law of the land”.
The author appears to be truly pained that customs postings are bought and the senior bosses are insatiable. He seems to be an insider and knows his facts. But does the Board allow its officers to lambast the department which provides these officers with food and protocol? Sometime back the Board had warned officers about writing in newspapers. The byline to the article mentions the name of one Abhijit Bhattacharya and we understand, we may be wrong; he is a Chief Commissioner of Customs in Delhi. Then comes the question of whether prior permission was taken from the Board for writing this article and does it not violate the CCS Rules? Has FM also read this article and approved it. If yes, TIOL would certainly welcome and urge other officers to share such 'inside & insightful' stories with us as well!