ALL
INDIA ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL TAX
GAZETTED EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
(Earlier
known as All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers)
Patron
Chief Patron
Patron
A.
Venkatesh
Ravi Malik
C. S. Sharma
Mob. 7780255361 Mob. 9868816290 Mob.
9313885411
President:
Address for communication: Secretary
General:
M.
Loganathan Flat
No. 6, SE 11, Shastri Nagar, Ghaziabad Harpal Singh
Mob.8758262698 mail
Id:aiacegeo2019@gmail.com Site:cengoindia.blogspot.in Mob.9717510598
Vice Presidents: B C
Khatik, V Pagare (Central) Diwakar
Sahai, Sanjoy Gupta (East) Ashish Vajpayee, Amadul Islam (North) G Srinivas
Reddy, P Ravichandran (South) R Keny, J B Parmar (West) Joint Secretaries: S
P Pandey, T J Manojumon (Central) Subrata Adhikari, SiddharthTewari (East)
Ramkesh Meena, S Sahai (West) Atul Kumar, R B Sahu (North) Bhoopesh, R V
Raghunandan (South); All India Convener:
A K Meena All India Coordinator: B L Meena Office Secretary: B C
Gupta Treasuer: M Kumar Organising Secretary: M Bajpai Liaison
Secretary: N S Maheshwari North Zone
Coordinator: Prabhakar Sharma Legal Coordinator: S Sabarwal
Vigilance Coordinator: R K Singh South
Zone Coordinator: U Sharma
(Recognised
vide F.No.B-12017/17/2022-AD-IV A dt. 14.07.23 of CBIC, Govt. of India)
Ref.
No. 30/AIB/L/24 Dt. 18.04.24
To,
The Chief Commissioner,
Customs Preventive Zone,
Patna.
Sub: Smuggling case of cigarettes detected at Customs
Lucknow Airport.
Sir,
Your kind
attention is invited to the case of
cigarettes detected at Customs Lucknow Airport by DRI, Lucknow on 01.04.24 and subsequent suspension of one Assistant Commissioner promoted from Superintendent
cadre, one Superintendent (lady officer), five Inspectors and one Havaldar. Thus, whole batch on duty
has been placed under suspension.
2. It is
submitted with due regards that one more such case happened in recent years but
no step was taken by the worthy administration to control the smuggling at the
Airport. The higher authorities are never made responsible for such events
despite of all powers being vested in them and only the lower cadres are
suspended whereas the higher authorities are more responsible for such lapse on
account of having higher administrative powers to control the mechanism.
3. It is
not understood why DRI case was handed over to Customs officers who were
already tired due to already being worked there for long hours continuously. it
can never be expected from tremendously tired officers to look after 36 smugglers.
Medically also, human needs at least eight hours sleep in twenty four hours for
normal body function.
4. It is
also regularly being brought to the kind knowledge of the concerned authorities
that our officers are already working under tremendous mental and physical
pressure due to the shortage of due
manpower. Mistakes are bound to happen when the
officers are working under tremendous pressure due to shortage of manpower
despite of full commitment and dedication. It can no way be expected from a
single Superintendent/Asstt. Commissioner to take care of thirty six smugllers
with insufficient manpower.
5. At Lucknow airport, the strength of a batch is only 7 to 8 officers
who were in the process of completing the seizure and Panchanama and they were
doing this for continuous two days alongside the work of Customs clearance of
passengers coming from other flights. Our officials are not trained enough to
handle such situations. Handling of a mob of 36 smugglers by 8 officials was very
difficult. Even CISF officials, responsible for security of airport and
securing entry & exit points, could not stop the smugglers. Thus, the suspended
officers are no way responsible for the escaping of the smugglers from the
airport. Additional manpower should have been called by the higher authorities
to handle this grave situation.
6.
It is also worth to mention that the Customs personnel at airport do not have
any such facilities/rooms/infrastructure where the caught smugglers can be
detained nor they are being issued weapons by the department to control the situation.
This escape is a result of faulty administrative control by the higher
authorities who couldn’t perform their higher responsibilities properly and
were expecting miracle from the officers who were working without sleep for 48
hours.
7. In view of above, it is requested
to kindly revoke the suspension of the suspended officers and make due
investigations to find out who actually is/are responsible for this
administrative negligence/lapse. It is also requested to kindly investigate who
actually is the mastermind behind this smuggling racket.
Thanking
you,
Yours
sincerely,
(HARPAL SINGH),
Secretary General.
Copy with the request for necessary action to:
(1) The
Principal Chief Commissioner, CGST Zone, Lucknow.
(2) The
Member, Customs, CBIC, North Block, New Delhi.
(3) The
Chairman, CBIC, North Block, New Delhi.
