TechViews
Automated Ctg customs house shines
Chittagong Customs House earns the country a huge amount of revenue as it deals with tax and duties on the products exported and imported through the country's largest maritime port in Chittagong. Chittagong Sea Port has resources that could not be utilized fully because of various hurdles like government red-tapes, extensive corruption, hassles created by the workers union and troubles by politicians. In view of these problems, the immediate past caretaker government took initiatives in 2007 to turn the customs house and the port in Chittagong automated. DataSoft, Bangladesh Army and Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) cooperated with the government in the venture. Before the automation project started, the customs house underwent various reforms inside. All these reform works were highly praised at home and abroad. But the taskforce, that worked to improve service at the customs house, identified several challenges such as involving all stakeholders, creating a database of all stakeholders with photographs and verified signatures, developing user-friendly software, reforming in the sectors like manpower, process and infrastructure and involving NBR's involvement in mandatory and regulatory job. To meet up the challenges the taskforce developed a database with photographs of all the stakeholders like C&F agents, shipping agents, freight forwarder, EPZ, private ICDs, surveyors, customs official and port authority. It built a help desk, quality management centre to help stakeholders submit their individual data by using their own ID and password. It also built a data centre and created a direct linkage with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and modernised the chemical lab in collaboration with Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET). The taskforce established a one-stop service provider's booth and automated revenue building branch of the Sonali Bank to help stakeholders open a resolving account. It linked the resolving account to the customs automation system and instant access for the stakeholders so that they can information about their current status. To unload dangerous cargos from the ship in the port shipping agents can apply online and get the permission from the same channel. Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) and Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) can easily submit their "Bill of Entry" and "Bill of Export" online. Because of the automation, agents can now get their rotation number from the revenue authority by declaring the cargo holds of the foreign ships online. Shipping agents and freight-forwarders can submit their IGM and EGM online. As the price of edible oil has been remaining a very sensitive issue for the last couple of years, authorities gave it a priority to resolve the issue. Automation authority developed state-of-the-art software to measure oil inventory in every tank. Besides, the software has been developed in such way that the increase or decrease of oil inventory will automatically up-dated in every 90 minutes in the Automation website. Every pre shipment agencies have been given a password so that they can't forge the Clean Report of Findings (CRF). In addition to building up a fibre-optic cable network, the taskforce installed a V-SAT as an alternative to submarine cable connection to ensure uninterrupted 24/7 Internet connectivity. The annual income of Chittagong Customs House is approximately Tk 15,000 crore. It earns up to Tk 70 crore a day. But, unfortunately, spending a few crore taka on automation seemed to be impossible for it. Its steps were restricted in different ways. The same situation is still prevailing in all other government organisations. But most of the government organisation can be brought in this novel world of information technology. By thinking a little creatively to break the deadlock. This very thing is now being done in Chittagong Customs House.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments