KOCHI: With the tussle between the Customs and the Special Economic Zone authorities showing no sign of resolution, the Cochin Customs Preventive Service Association has alleged that the stubborn attitude of India Gateway Terminal Private Limited (IGTPL) had worsened the situation at the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Vallarpadam.The association on Monday raised a counter-allegation against the IGTPL authorities. “From the beginning, the aim of the IGTPL was not the development of ICTT or Kochi but to somehow keep the law enforcing agencies away. It is a company which was denied permission to operate ports in USA due to security reasons,” the office bearers of the association alleged. “If IGTPL is really interested in the well-being of ICTT, they can easily achieve that by abiding by the law in this country. But from the beginning, they were looking for ways to circumvent Indian rules and regulations,” they said. “The stand taken by the SEZ and the IGTPL authorities that other government agencies cannot be allowed inside the SEZ is a blatant lie. Section 47 of the of SEZ Act 2005 empowers all state and central government agencies to carry out their functions inside the SEZ subject to the provisions of SEZ Act. Outside agencies are disallowed from interfering in only those activities which have been given SEZ status (called authorised operations in the SEZ Act). Authorised operation is the international transshipment of containers (containers originating from foreign port and destined to another foreign port). All imports into India and exports from India (including containers coming from another Indian port) do not come under the definition of ‘authorised’ operations.” Therefore, they should be cleared under the supervision of Customs like in any other Indian port. This has been clearly mentioned by the Approval Committee which granted license to IGTPL to run the ICTT,” they said. The association also denied the allegation that Customs officials were re-examining the cargo which was already examined at another port. “There is no re-examination of cargo at ICTT, Vallarpadam. Once the cargo is examined at another port, the container is sealed by Customs officials of that port. The only job of the Customs officials at ICTT is to verify that this seal is intact to make sure that no contraband is placed inside after the first examination. It will take maximum of 10 seconds for this seal verification.”“If IGTPL feels that the activities of the Customs Dept at ICTT is illegal, then they can move the Government of India Courts for relief,” they said.
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