Trade agencies urged to attend PTF meetings

Smoothening of trade proceedings through ports in Kerala is affected by lack of cooperation from various government and trade agencies, a top Customs official said.
Kochi Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar has shot off a letter to various bodies including Rubber Board, Tea Board, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressing concern over their repeated absence from Permanent Trade Facilitation (PTF) meetings.
The meetings, being convened as per directions of Central Board of Excise and Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, is considered to be an effective forum for remedy of any grievances related to port and CFS operations.

Kumar, who took over as Customs Commissioner recently, noticed that many agencies had not been represented at the meetings for the past 6 months despite giving advance notices of meetings.
In his letter, Kumar has urged various boards and trade agencies to attend the meetings on regular basis as this was a forum meant for smoothening out of few trade procedures, reducing congestions at the ports and streamlining the role of agencies.
He has stated that on one hand the trade is positive about the effectiveness of the meetings, while on the other, much needs to be done to ensure participation, transparency and effectiveness.

Customs sources said the Centre wants the meeting to be an effective forum for remedy of any grievance.

"And for ease of doing business, customs is duty bound to cut down on any delays.. However, if the agencies do not come, they are turning the forum into a dead body," a Customs official said.
Emphasising the need for attending the meeting and taking part in the deliberations, he said the ease of doing business in India ranking can be improved only by that.
"Without their cooperation we can't do it.. Especially an agency like DGFT, which has an equal role to play, should at least take interest and attend.. They are not taking interest," the official said.