The Directorate General (DG) Intelligence and Investigation has asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to create the post of Chief Collector (Transit) and establish three new Transit Collectorates at Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta under the new anti-smuggling policy to control missing containers' scams and misuse of the transit trade facility under the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
Sources told Business Recorder that the DG Intelligence and Investigation FBR has drafted a new anti-smuggling plan to control and monitor transit consignments after implementation of the APTTA. According to the DG Intelligence, in view of the mega scams and violations detected in transit trade in recent cases, the Directorate General strongly proposes that there should be three Collectorates dealing exclusively with all transit cargoes. Given the manifold increase in transit trade in the last few years and the expected quantum jump in near future in the wake of new APTTA, it is strongly recommended that Customs procedures and controls be upgraded, DG intelligence said.
The Chief Collector (Transit) will be responsible for policy input to FBR on transit trade and will have the mandate to liaise with all relevant stakeholders. This will not only help in proper enforcement of all relevant laws and procedures but would facilitate the expeditious disposal of transit cargo. The real time data would make reconciliation with all transit cargo data easier.
The new organisational structure of the proposed post of the Chief Collector (Transit) revealed that the Chief Collector would directly interact with the Transit Collectorates of Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta on all the transit trade related issues.
A proper system based on efficient risk management principles which would be capable of detecting frauds and raising alarm well in time can be specifically developed for this new set-up. These new field formations should be equipped with scanners, CCTV and other modern gadgets which can make the clearance procedure more swift, facilitative and transparent. The modern sealing technology which cannot be tampered with should he utilised to ensure safe transportation. The chances of any pilferage, mismanagement or violation of the prescribed rules and procedures will be minimised by having dedicated Collectorates with aforementioned features exclusively dealing with transit matters, Directorate General Intelligence added.
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