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Customs - Passenger Satisfaction - Mumbai Airport - CBEC Survey

DDT in Limca Book of Records - Third Time in a rowTIOL-DDT 2854
26 05 2016
Thursday

THE CBEC engaged a Management School to conduct a survey of Passenger Satisfaction levels of customs clearance process at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, one of the largest Airports in terms of international passenger traffic in India. CBEC seems to be happy with the findings.

1. Overall Satisfaction level at Mumbai Airport: Asked to rate their experience of Mumbai Customs vis-a-vis other international Airports across the world, 69% rated their experience with Mumbai airport customs as better or somewhat better than other international airports, 15% rated on par and about 16% felt, it was worse.

2. Clearance Process: Respondents appreciated the improvements in Customs clearance process over the years. 35% of the respondents mentioned that clearance process has drastically improved while 37% mentioned that there is marginal improvement.

3. Areas requiring improvement: Three areas where major improvement is expected by passengers are - (i) access and availability of information, (ii) Speed of process and (iii) Greater transparency of duty assessment process.

4. Ignorant about TV and Jewellery: Customs assessment for TV and jewellery appeared to be less widely known and are two commodities causing maximum discord.

5. Facility to pay duty by Debit/Credit card: The manner of payment of assessed duty amount at the designated bank's counter (SBI) and lack of alternative facility to pay duty by Debit/Credit card/ Cash Card & Foreign exchange rate differential vis-à-vis other exchange operators was another cause of Passenger dissatisfaction.

6. Lack of Information: The study found that lack of information awareness has a direct bearing on passenger satisfaction levels. Only 27% were ‘Fully Aware' of the Indian Customs rules and regulations while the vast majority was either partly aware or unaware of the legal requirements.

7. Where to get Information? Only 17% of the passengers were found to be accessing Indian Customs website for information, while the rest relied on various other sources, which may not be fully authentic and reliable. 43% preferred medium of mobile phone for seeking information. Only 50% of passengers were aware that the Baggage Declaration Forms had been withdrawn, which was a major simplification undertaken recently, with 68% welcoming the move, as a positive initiative.

8. Behaviour of Customs Officers: Verbal and non-verbal behavioural cues of the Customs Officer influences the perception and hence the satisfaction levels of the Passengers. 77% of the passengers said they did not face any difficulty or harassment, however, imparting behavioural skills particularly in the areas of managing crucial conversation, tone of communication, gender sensitisation, emotional intelligence, etc. to the Customs officer which will go a long way in influencing Passenger Satisfaction levels.

(Nonetheless, once in a while a video surfaces! See DDT 2846)

9. Time Spent for Customs Clearance: The study revealed that Passengers are sensitive to the time they spend on the entire Customs Clearance Process. In the case of Green Channel passengers, threshold time is ‘up to 15 minutes' while in the case of Red Channel Passengers, threshold time appeared to creep in the 15 to 29 minutes' time interval. Pre-arrival self-calculation/assessment and payment of Customs Duty levied, dedicated customs clearance channel for those international passengers who have connecting domestic flights to board, ease of Customs Clearance process at the Airport are important recommendations by the Research team for reduction in process time, which in turn would lead to raising satisfaction levels of Passengers.

Mr.Najib Shah, Chairman CBEC, assured that the Survey findings and recommendations by the Research team will be examined by the Board carefully and suitable action will be taken to improve the passenger satisfaction levels not just at Mumbai but at all the Airports in India.

Customs Information to Passengers Coming from abroad - Elephant of blind

A few months ago I was present at a social gathering of highly placed Indians in a neighbouring country and I was witness to a lot of ignorance paraded by highly educated elitist socialites. Some of the information dished out by these highly informed people, especially stylish ladies were:

1. What are the goods and the value of goods that can be taken to India? The range varied from cosmetics to alcohol and value ranged from 20,000 to 2 lakhs. Nobody had any definite idea. The number of bottles of liquor ranged from 1 bottle to 5.

2. How much money can you take to India? That varied from 10,000 rupees to unlimited rupees and dollars.

3. How much gold can you carry? Two biscuits seemed to be the majority view.

4. What about gold jewellery? Anything you wear on your body can be taken and that includes wrist watches.

5. Laptop: You can carry one used laptop and one new.

6. Mobile phone: Same as laptop.

The unanimous opinion was that whatever you carry, you can always manage the Customs - with a little cash.

Customs - Baggage - Mr. Chairman, Where to get information? Departmental Websites are horribly inadequate

AN Indian or for that matter a foreigner planning to visit India would certainly like to get information on the Customs procedures at the airports. Where can he get information from? The Survey finds that only 17% of the passengers were found to be accessing Indian Customs website for information, while the rest relied on various other sources, which may not be fully authentic and reliable. The Chairman should be happy that only 17% relied on his website. The Indian Customs website or the websites of the Air Customs give as accurate information as those socialites in the party I attended.

CBEC Website: On the CBEC website, where can you get information for the passengers coming to India? I asked several Customs officers, who were not able to help me. There is a link for Travellers Guide and that takes you to a page which says,

Legal Corner Icon

HOW long should the passenger wait for the CBEC Web page to be constructed?

Mobile app for Baggage Rules: Not many, even within the department are aware that there is a mobile app by CBEC for baggage rules available in Google Play. I downloaded the app and the Baggage Rules given there are just ten years behind schedule. They have given the Baggage Rules, 1998 as amended in 2006. They seem to be ignorant about the Baggage Rules, 2016!

The Bangalore Customs website also gives the 1998 Rules.

Mumbai Airport Customs website: This site gives some startling information:

Duty free allowance is Rs. 35,000/-; Jewellery free allowance for men is Rs. 10,000 and for women Rs.20,000/-. This site also allows 200 cigarettes. Elsewhere in the site, the duty free allowance is Rs. 45,000/-.

Several other websites of the Air Customs in cities like Delhi do not open or do not show anything about baggage information. And some give a link to CBEC which also does not open.

The CBEC Chairman should perhaps think of advising his officers to update their websites with the latest on baggage.

Officers Equally Ignorant

I did a little survey of my own by calling up various Air Customs offices.

In most of the airports, they told me that the duty free allowance is Rs. 45,000. Most of them were not aware of the statutory provisions for import of currency. Nobody was sure whether you can bring two laptops (one used and one new). Nobody could tell me whether I could bring an iphone within the baggage allowance. A well meaning officer gave me the best advice - to see the website for more details. I asked him which website I should see. He said, "google with ‘Customs India' and you will get several websites!"

Customs Baggage Rules - Confusing and Complicated

IN DDT 2818 01 04 2016, I wrote, "The Baggage Rules have an Appendix and three annexures apart from the complicated provisions with half a dozen provisos. Can't they make these simple and short that passengers can understand?"

It is simply impossible for anybody to gather information from all the ignorant sources and know the exact position. The Chairman can conduct a small survey within his office by asking his staff to explain the baggage rules to him.

The least that you can do for the people coming to your country is to tell them clearly and correctly what their rights and obligations are. Make the rules simple and give them wide publicity and ask your officers to be thorough with them. Every passenger on arrival at the airport should be given a small handbook that should answer all possible questions on baggage.

Making the stakeholder aware of his rights and duties is as important as punishing him for the lapses.

Incidentally, now the duty free allowance is Rs. 50,000.

Customs Baggage Clearance - We feel Ignored Now

AND this must please the CBEC officers.

A very senior bureaucrat told me recently that earlier whenever he returned from a foreign tour he would request friends in the Revenue Service for facilitation at airports and it felt important to cut queues and be escorted out by Customs Officers. But now there is hardly any check and we can simply walk through - the Customs officers don't even bother to look at us. We feel ignored!

Income Declaration Scheme, 2016 - Jurisdiction

INCOME Declaration Scheme, 2016, introduced vide Finance Act, 2016, provides an opportunity to persons who have not paid full taxes in the past to come forward and declare their undisclosed income. Rule 4 of the Income Declaration Scheme Rules provides that a declaration of income or income in the form of investment in any asset u/s 183 shall be made in the prescribed manner to the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner who exercises jurisdiction over the declarant.

CBDT clarifies that the jurisdictional Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner, as the case may be, who exercises jurisdiction u/s 120 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, as notified by CBDT from time to time over such declarant, shall be the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner as referred to in section 186 of the Income Declaration Scheme 2016 to whom declaration under 183 of that Scheme is to be made.

CBDT Circular No. 19/2016., Dated: May 25, 2016

Until Tomorrow with more DDT

Have a nice day.

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