ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has tightened procedures for the tracking and monitoring of a wide range of import/export cargo, on real-time basis, including transit cargo, petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) products exported to Afghanistan, trans-shipment cargo and exports under the Export Processing Zones and Special Economic Zones or Free Zones.

The FBR has issued Tracking and Monitoring of Cargo Rules, 2023 through a notification issued on Tuesday. According to the new rules, the procedure shall apply to tracking and monitoring of the following types of cargo throughout the journey from the port of entry to the port of exit or from one warehouse to another, on real time basis.

No cargo mentioned in these rules shall be transported from the Customs port of entry unless the tracking and monitoring devices have been installed on the containers and vehicles. The carrier and transport operator shall not be allowed to operate a vehicle unless a permanent tracking device is installed in the vehicle, rules said.

The applicant company shall be required to provide technological solutions on the basis of GSM or GPRS or Satellite Communication or any other modem technology for monitoring and tracking of containers and vehicles carrying the cargo.

The licensees shall furnish, establish and maintain a section relating to performance monitoring of the licensed tracking companies in the Central Monitoring & Control Room (CMCR) in the Old Custom House, Karachi or in any other control room designated by the Board.

The monitoring section in CMCR shall be equipped with hardware, software, plasmas, LCDs, communication and other allied equipment for viewing, analyzing the movements of goods and vehicles and coordinating with the licensee’s control room or any other stakeholders in cases of alerts.

The licensee, “shall provide the necessary infrastructure for establishing Mobile Enforcement Units (MEUs) including vehicles (4X4), adequate means of communications with the CMCR and licensees’ control room, respectively and routine maintenance activity (POL, repairs etc).

The Project Director shall convey to the licensee, the requirements of the Directorates of Transit Trade (HQ), in which the MEUs will be stationed at Transit Monitoring and Response Centers (TMRCs) and will be located on shift rotation basis (24 hours and seven days a week), besides determining the total infrastructure required in terms of vehicles, and related resources.

The Project Director Directorate General of Transit Trade, Karachi; shall get the tracking and monitoring devices as well as the tracking system installed in vehicles, tested before use. On satisfaction, the Project Director shall allow use of tracking and monitoring devices and installation of tracking system in the vehicles. Same procedure shall be followed in case new device is introduced.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023