Absence of quarantine facilities in airport poses a challenge to Customs

Chennai: The absence of separate animal quarantine facilities and kits to test exotic plants brought in by passengers at the Chennai international airport has been posing a challenge to the Customs.
As of now, whenever officials seize exotic plants or animals, they dispose them of using incinerators.
Customs officials say a large number of tourists, returning from a trip to the Southeast Asian countries, bring in a lot of `Feng-Sui' items, both plants and fish. As per the norms, such passengers have to obtain certificates for plants/seeds and the animal. For the plants/seeds, the passengers must get the `phyto-sanitary' certificate from the country from where they are bought or collected. As for animals, they should obtain a certificate that the animal is free from diseases such as rabies or leptospyrosis.
In the absence of such certification, the Customs authorities have to impound the consignment, quarantine it and subject it to laboratory tests before either granting or refusing permission. But, since there is no space available in the airport for storing the seized materials and there is no animal quarantine officer in the airport, the officials are forced to destroy the materials. The plant quarantine office is located close to the airport, while that of animal quarantine is located far away.
22/05/07 P. Oppili/The Hindu

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Categories: Airports May 2007, Foreign May 2007, Safety May 2007