MULTAN: Collectorate of Customs Enforcement and Compliance (E&C) Collector Muneeza Majeed has said that Multan Customs showed excellent performance against smuggling during economic year 2019-20 despite global pandemic of Covid-19 and detected mega seizure cases during the crackdown against smuggling goods in the vast jurisdiction.
Talking with Customs Today during an exclusive interview, Collector Muneeza Majeed said that a comprehensive strategy has been devised by Multan Collectorate to curb smuggling in the vast jurisdiction.
The Collectorate has enhanced joint surveillance on suspected routes especially Sakhi Sarwar and few tribal areas being used for transportation of smuggled goods in the jurisdiction to curb smuggling.
All six division offices of Multan Customs are assigned specific targets which are fully monitored by senior officers on regular basis, adding that owing to this special focus, the flow of smuggled goods through major roads has been effectively frustrated through aggressive crackdown.
The Collectorate showed remarkable outcomes under the leadership of Collector Customs Muneeza Majeed. At the end of 1st Quarter (Q1) of FY 2020-21, the Collectorate has seized goods worth Rs1223 million as compared to Rs488 million worth of goods seized corresponding year during the same period.
A growth of 150 percent has been recorded in seizure values this year viz-a-viz previous year. These anti-smuggling seizures are increased in last 5 years when compared with the yearly combined performance of erstwhile MCC Multan and MCC Faisalabad.
After joining MCC Multan, the Collector Muneeza Majeed took effective administrative measures by deputing staff having better repute in six anti-smuggling divisions.
In view of the vast territorial jurisdiction covering 74 percent of the Punjab, the staff was deployed at the strategic locations and check posts.
The is facing acute shortage of staff and only 82 sepoys of Customs available for enforcement of vast jurisdiction of Punjab. The progress and movement of squads were closely monitored. Customs Collectorate has banned the entrance of suspected personnel’s in the building.
Collector added that Collectorate is going to launch hotline for smooth coordination and speedy response against any information. Apart from seizing the smuggled goods passing through territory of the Collectorate, raids were also carried out on godowns containing smuggled cigarettes, tyres, dry fruit, whey powder, dry milk, betel nut in Multan and Faisalabad and huge quantity of smuggled goods were recovered from these locations. In a major case of its kind 54,000 liters of High-Speed Diesel concealed under Bitumen tanker has also been detected.
Precisely, the Collectorate seized miscellaneous merchandise worth Rs1153 million, vehicles carrying smuggled goods worth Rs 353 million, NDP vehicles worth Rs70 million, cigarettes worth Rs22.42 million, tyres worth Rs14.45 million and diesel worth Rs14.97 Million.
All this was made possible due to effective strategy and placement of staff on merit keeping in view of the on-ground requirements and cultivation of an efficient network of informers. The aggressive and focused anti-smuggling drive has caused a great setback to the smugglers as is evident from the quantum of seized goods and their values.
The liaison with other Law Enforcement Agencies has been strengthened using the platform of the Divisional Task Force on Anti-Smuggling. In a number of cases and raids the help of Police was obtained to ensure the safe transportation of the goods to the Customs warehouses. Apart from the Anti-smuggling initiatives, the face-lifting of the premises of Custom House Multan has also been done by removing the junk vehicles from the main front of office building, re-construction of the entry gate of Custom House and adjoining wall and improvement and landscaping of the green areas inside the office to give it a healthy look.
She also expressed confidence that the Multan Customs officers and staff will maintain this efficiency and put in their best possible efforts to continue to strive for such success in future as well. Collector Customs further emphasized the officers and staff to ensure strict discipline, adopt austerity measures, honesty and constant enforcement of laws for the economic uplift of the country during the ongoing economic crisis faced by the country. The Collectorate shall keep this momentum continue to root out smuggling in line with the Policy of the current Government.
