SCARCITY IN SACREDNESS !!!

Time has come to introspect as to whether CBEC should continue to maintain the Preventive Commissionerate of Customs... The earlier happy days are gone, where dedicated officers, like the legendary Aroraji, Dayashankarji, K S Ranaji etc... who were willing to lay down their lives for the Department, are no more there. The situation after 1993 bomb-blasts exposed the Administration and the situation has still not improved. For namesake, skeleton staff is keeping the formation in operation. During the recent demonetization drive, not a single seizure of contraband items/currency was recorded. The jurisdiction of the present Mumbai Preventive Commissionerate stretches from Gujarat to Goa and the western India sea-routes are notorious for smuggling contraband. This was the very reason the Prevenitve Commissionerate was created - to safeguard the jurisdiction and check any unlawful activity. There are many reasons for its deterioration.

First of all, morale & efficiency of the officers posted there is lacking, the infrastructure provided is not very encouraging. From the mobility point of view, there are no vehicles. Even if it is there, it is majorly used for carrying officers from residence to office & vice-versa. The present move of reorganization of the Preventive Commissionerate in the ensuing GST regime and a motivated committee report on Central Excise officers working in Customs formations giving a scope to enrich the formations.

Can any prudent senior officer say that they have asked the concerned formation for their opinion for improving the functioning, except for attending various security related meetings with different agencies. Are they geared up to meet any "Mumbai-26/11" type of eventuality if it occurs. Going over the minor details, it will definitely become personal.

The officers of Central Excise Mumbai are posted at various offices of M& P wing i.e Everest house, Customs house Alibag, Mora, Karanja, Shriwardhan, Masla, Revdanda, Murud, Dhanu, Vasai, Satpati & Utan.  Many premises of customs formation are under encroachment. The administration of the present customs preventive formation least says are better. This will expose the Administration and the manner in which it functions. Many senior officers have come and gone, sometimes after fulfilling their vested interests. Now, if for time being they are planning to have Customs Preventive formations then only God can save them no one else. Recently, the observation of Addl. CMM Court, Mumbai dated 02.02.2017 depicts the true functioning of the formations which is really an eye-opener but there does not appear to be any sensitive officers who feel the pinch and shame of their Administration. 

The manner of posting of Departmental officers who serve in R&I and Preventive is quite discriminatory. White colour uniform, they manage R & I and Khakhi clad officers manage Preventive. Least exposed is better for an organization. 

CESA, Mumbai feels the officers of Central Excise and Customs are from one Department and belonging to one Board. If anyone is trying to bifurcate the two, it is better to propose in the same manner as on date who are trying to snatch the work of Central Excise Officers from all over India in the name of Customs. 

The officers of Central Excise in all Cadres are stagnated and the humiliation suffered within the same Board, which on one hand is appealing for welcoming GST and on the other, stabbing on the back, is really astonishing. Hope good sense will prevail and amity will continue. 

This last moment development on the basis of committee report submitted by the study group i.e. Shri. Sanjeev Srivastava, Commissioner, C.Ex. Delhi-II, Shri. L. Satya Srinivas, Joint secretary (Customs), Shri. M K Sinha, Commissioner, Central Excise, CBEC is very dangerous & a disturbing one. The Joint Action Committee, of all cadres, constituted for GST, should take cognizance and take appropriate action or leave it to us to handle it on our own.

                                                             *****************