Plan to cut free time for cargo imports upsets traders

Chennai: The industrial and trade community is unhappy with the government’s plan to reduce the free time given for cargo imports at all airports.
Under this policy, the government wants to ensure that the cargo clearance time is reduced to three working days from the present five working days, effective from October 1. Importers will incur demurrage charges if goods are left at the airport beyond three days. However, industrialists and customs agents say this is unreasonable, given the situation on the ground at the Indian airports, especially at the Chennai airport.
“...you need to understand the infrastructure constraint that inhibits quick removal,” said J. Krishnan, chairman of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s expert committee on logistics. “The situation in Chennai, in particular, is that it takes a minimum of two-three days till the cargo is put at the disposal of the importer.”
Mr. Krishnan argued that the counting system itself was flawed. If a flight arrived at 11 p.m., one working day of the free period was counted by midnight. The second Saturdays when Customs functioned with skeleton staff to clear urgent shipments were also counted as working days. Asad Cassim, of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India, said the AAI handled cargo only in two shifts.
26/09/07 The Hindu

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Categories: Airports Sep 2007, Cargo Sep 2007