S K Goel issued the biometric cards to CHAs, Importers and Exporters

 

MUMBAI: Indian Customs Mumbai introduced the 'Biometric Smart Card' based identification/authentication system for Customs House Agents (CHAs) and independent importers for the first time in Customs  Department  on  Feb  25,  2012.  

 

 

Shri S. K. Goel, Chairman, Central Board of Excise & Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance unveiled a plaque announcing the inauguration of the Biometric Smart Card System (BSCS) for Custom House Agents (CHA's), Importers and Exporters. Along with him, the Chairman and Chief Commissioner of Customs Zone I, II & III, Smt. Shobha L Chary, Shri C. S. Prasad, & Shri Vineet Kumar addressed the gathering.  Shri Ajit Kumar, Director General of Valuation, Mumbai, Smt. Sanghamitra Panda, Director General, Service Tax, Mumbai, Shri M. Suresh, Chief Commissioner of Central Excise, Mumbai-I, Mumbai and Smt. A. Vasudev, Chief Commissioner of Central Excise, Mumbai-II, Mumbai were also present at the inaugural function.

 

The Directors, Partners and Proprietors of prominent CHA firms received their Biometric Smart Cards at the hands of the Chairman, CBEC. The inaugural function also included a demonstration of the card holder validation process and also a demonstration showing how a fraudulent card holder is barred, his photograph captured and e-mail alert is generated and sent to the CHA section.

 

The President of Bombay Custom House Agents Association (BCHAA) Shri Nailesh Gandhi, in his speech, welcomed the introduction of BSCS and hoped that it would help in curbing frauds. The system became operational with the inauguration by the Chairman, CBEC.

 

“Biometric Smart Cardswill be issued first in Mumbai in all the three Customs zones. Once this is rolled out, a fraudulent person will not be able to file the documents anywhere in the city as his fingerprint will not match and his photo will be flashed across all zones. Also, a wrong person cannot take delivery of the cargo, so this will reduce the incidences of frauds,” said SK Goel while inaugurating the smart Cards.

 

Further, he added, the CHAs, and their employees numbering more than 25000 and engaged in clearance of import and export goods, are being issued with Biometric Smart Cards in place of plastic laminated identity Cards. These Cards will contain the personal and employment information of the Card holder encoded in digital form in the embedded electronic chip.

 

Card readers placed at strategic locations within Customs jurisdiction like EDI Service Centres where import/export cargo clearance documents are filed, will screen the Card holder biometrically through finger print readers/ cameras and identify/ authenticate the individual as the presenter of the Biometric Card. Filing of documents will be allowed only after due authentication Checks are in built in the system to alert the central control in real time in case of invalid Card being presented or impersonator attempting to clear the goods.

 

New Biometric Smart Card identification system for trade and industry and Custom House Agents will be useful to restrict misuse of Cards and avoidance of further filing FIR, cease office documents and investigation process. The system was earlier introduced in Air cargo now in Central Excise & Customs, Mumbai and is planned to be introduced in Gujarat, said S K Goel. Revealing about the Smart Card, he said Rs 92 lakh was spent for preparing 25,000 Biometric Smart Cards. Each Card holder will have to pay Rs 500 against the earlier cost of Rs 50.

 

The function was organized by Shri S.L. Meena, Commissioner of Customs (General), New Custom House, Shri Arvind Kumar Singh, Addl. Commissioner of Customs, Preventive (General),New Custom House & Shri K.S. Nautiyal, Addl. Commissioner of Customs (General), New Custom House, Mumbai.