Revenue department has relaxed the norms for cargo movement from one port to another, a move that will spur developmental activities in coastal cities.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) relaxed norms after receiving representations that the present procedure governing movement of coastal goods was restrictive.
"The container carrying coastal goods shall be clearly marked with the words 'For Coastal Carriage Only' on all sides. There shall be no examination of the coastal goods, the container shall be sealed with tamper-proof one-time bottle seal and then the same can be loaded on to the vessel," CBEC said in a circular.
It further said non-containerized cargo will also be allowed to be loaded on the vessel provided it is clearly marked on the packing 'For Coastal Carriage Only' to make it easily identifiable.
However, the preventive officers with the prior approval of senior officers "may from time to time" carry out random checks so as to ensure that no export or imported goods are "inadvertently or by intention" loaded onto such coastal vessels.
After looking into various representations to CBEC, it was felt that there is a need to relax the procedure so as to facilitate faster movement of the coast goods.
It was also opined that relaxations in norms will bring down the transaction cost and also give fillip to the development activities in the coast cities
Ministry of Shipping has also relaxed cabotage restrictions to encourage movement of coastal goods.
Vessels like RoRO (Roll on Roll Off), PCC (Pure Care Carriers), Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC), LNG vessels, Over-Dimensional Cargo or Project Cargo are covered under the new relaxed policy guidelines for five years up to September 2020.
