ISLAMABAD: Collectorate of Customs Collector Seema Raza Bokhari has said that customs staff of the Collectorate seized 456500 masks during the month of March 2020 from unknown export consignments at Islamabad airport while 72000 masks were seized by passenger’s baggage who tried to smuggle masks abroad while the country was facing huge shortage of medical masks due to CoronaVirus.
Talking with Customs Today during an exclusive interview the Collector said that due to CoronaVirus revenue collection is suffering because consignments flow get slowed down and the department has suspended public auctions.
The Collectorate has issued strict orders for customs staff of NIIA (New Islamabad International Airport) to follow precautionary measures for their safety during recent wave of CoronaVirus and instructed the staff to wear masks and gloves during examination of luggage of passengers.
Answering a query she said that following the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, coordination and synergized efforts required from all stakeholders for curbing the menace of smuggling. She said that she already presided over first meeting of divisional task force on anti-smuggling where LEAs (law enforcement agencies) representatives were presented to discus various issues related with anti-smuggling activities and mutual cooperation.
The agencies provided inputs that how to improve coordination among all members and how to tackle this matter of smuggling in an effective way. All the members agreed to nominate there focal person for better and effective future coordination, adding that in this regard the MCC nominated Assistant Collector Rao Fahd as focal person.
Giving detail about performance of Collectorate against smuggling activities, she said that ASO earned Rs1160 million extra revenue by seizing non-duty paid vehicles along with smuggled goods from July to February 2019-20 against same corresponding period. She appreciated ASO and said that it showed outstanding performance during month of February 2020 as well as during the whole financial year as compared to the corresponding period last year.
Telling the details, she said that the ASO seized 124 NDP vehicles worth Rs720 million from July to February (financial year) 2019-20 while it seized 41 NDP vehicles worth Rs223 million during same period, adding that during current financial year FY19-20 the ASO seized 79 offending vehicles worth Rs205 million while it seized 62 offending vehicles worth Rs68 million in same period during FY18-19.
The ASO surpassed its assigned revenue target with extra surplus revenue of Rs56 million, adding that ASO Islamabad was assigned revenue target worth Rs115 million while it earned Rs171 million by seizing smuggled goods and vehicles. The ASO seized 10 offending vehicles, 25 NDP vehicles and various kinds of smuggled goods worth Rs171 million while ASO seized 12 offending, 6 NDP and other smuggled goods worth Rs72 million.
The Collector told that ASO also made huge crackdown on smugglers and tax evaders at Rawalpindi and Islamabad, adding that ASO raided a godown of smuggled goods including renowned chemist “Shaheen and D-Watson”. The ASO also seized dozens of outlets of said pharmacists in different sectors situated in the Capital territory and seized non duty paid smuggled goods worth Rs75 million.
Telling some more details of seized goods during first 8 months she said that during said period of FY19-20, the ASO seized 51011 kilograms of fabric worth Rs92 million, 3300 kilograms of smuggled betel nuts worth Rs8.62 million, 2700 kilograms of food grain worth Rs2.40 million, 4574 kilograms of smuggled foreign origin tea worth Rs3.18 million, 2645 tyres tubes worth Rs43 million, 23305 kilograms of auto parts worth Rs6.52 million, 54 liquor bottles worth Rs0.2 million, 500 liters of mobil oil worth Rs0.24 million, 4800 liters of smuggled diesel worth Rs0.96 million, 32763 sleeves of fake smuggled cigarettes worth Rs64.39 million, 1428 smuggled electronic goods worth Rs9.78 million, 306 foreign origin blankets worth Rs0.3 million and miscellaneous smuggled goods worth Rs491 million.
The ASO seized goods worth Rs1649 million from July 2019 to February 2020 whereas ASO seized smuggled goods worth Rs488 million during the same period in July 2018 to February 2019, the Collector concluded.
