KARACHI: Model Customs Collectorate of Port Qasim has decided to take disciplinary action against those officials who are involved in creating difficulties for importers during assessment process, it is learnt here.
Sources informed Customs Today that Collector Port Qasim Surriya Butt, while following the directives of Chief Collector-Appraisement (South) Nasir Masroor Ahmed, has decided to take disciplinary action against Deputy Collector Athar Naveed who found involved in negligence towards his duties.
The sources further disclosed that the importers through a proper channel has sent their grievances to Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa and reacting upon the complaints, the Chairman FBR asked the Collector Port Qasim to take action against all those officials and officers who found involved in unlawful activities.
“Following the directives, the Collector Port Qasim Surriya Butt has served warning letter to Deputy Collector Athar Naveed in his involvement in negligence towards his duties”, sources added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the importers repeatedly sent their complaints to FBR high-ups against deputy collector Athar Naveed in which they stated that the deputy collector spent lot of his time in taking power nabs and eating meals instead of facilitating the importers.
The importers further alleged that the said deputy collector was also involved in changing the assessment value of the imported consignments at the time of its gate-out in order to irritate the importers and taking his revenge by adopting such tactics.
Meanwhile, deputy collector of Port Qasim, Athar Naveed, continues to enjoy his five meals a day and subsequent power naps during the office hours, those around him have stopped bothering about this unethical behaviour of their senior official, terming it a routine of the poor old chap.
However, explaining this behaviour, sources said that DC Athar Naveed is a mentally challenged and a totally frustrated person.
They said that the DC has problems in his family, and after getting frustrated from those family problems and brawls with his wife, he takes out his frustration on the importers.
Moreover, sources said that due to these brawls with his wife, he brings his breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner at his office, and also sleeps in office during the office timing.
“He runs away before time, while the importers are left high and dry,” said a source, adding that the importers had to commute for 2-3 hours to come to Port Qasim, where they are made to wait for 2-4 hours outside the DC’s office for him to complete his food and power nap. Then in the evening, he rushes gets out of the office without attending to those importers, said the sources. When importers complained about this absurd behaviour of the DC, he started taking out even more frustration on the importers, creating further hurdles for the importers in order to take revenge.
