ISLAMABAD: Deputy Collector Headquarters Adjudication Obaidullah has said that new standard procedures are in the offing for early disposal of cases in customs adjudication. According to these procedures, all the officials of the adjudication will be bound to submit a detailed report about disposal of cases in the first week of every month.
Talking to Customs Today, Ubaidullah said that adjudication is bound to issue a show case notice of the case within 24 hours and the cases will have to be decided within a month. He said, “We will also monitor the causes that why some cases are being delayed.” Answering a question, he said that all the cases will be decided on merit, while adjudication is also facing shortage of funds and is unable to perform hundred percent. He said, “We have already submitted some proposals to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and chief collectorate on security of customs collectorates.”
Responding to a query Deputy Collector Ubaidullah said that nowadays there are one collector, two additional, four deputy collectors and one superintendent who are working as adjudication official while Peshawar sector is also in our jurisdiction. He said every official of adjudication department prepared a list of pending cases and all the cases are being heard according to real time basis. Every adjudication officer will have to file his remarks after hearing of case. He will also highlight the reasons of any delay in hearing of case.
He said we are performing only with fifty percent workforce, he suggested that one DSP and one inspector have to deploy with every adjudication officer. Now there are only upper division clerks are working on whole collectorate. He also revealed that we have already received security threats and this situation is quite alarming. If terrorists are not spraying school, colleges, universities, Nadra offices then why they will spare customs collectorate.
He said we proposed to FBR to create a operation room in FBR headquarters who assigns the responsibility to keep hawk eye on all situation arrangements. He said he himself is monitoring the whole situation. He said according to SOP every adjudication official is bound to issue a show cause notice within twenty four hours and he will also conduct the hearing of said case in one week and if respondents will not satisfy with the proceedings of the case then we will extend extra week for hearing of the case. He said now cases will be decided purely on merit.
