Article - 58 Week 16 Don’t we need an Anna Hazare of shipping?:

Article - 58  Week 16 

Don't we need an Anna Hazare of shipping?

A container loaded with two types of deadly DG cargo - wrongly stowed and packed by the shipper - entered JNP. The shipping line realised the danger during final checking before loading the box and shuts it out - rightly so. The shipping line had given approval for each DG cargo to be carried in separate containers - not to be packed into a single container, with dangerous and explosive ramifications. The container was now a big threat to the Terminal and the people working inside. This had to be moved out of the port with utmost urgency for separating out the individual cargo. It is a matter of common sense.

However, there is hardly anything common about common sense and our wolverine Customs processes and its kursis. The process is ridiculously known as 'out of town permission' -  even though the box moves from one customs bonded area (Port) to another customs bonded area(CFS) - undertaken by a transporter under Customs Bond. To get this 'out of town permission' was so time consuming, palm greasing, and pain-staking  that the surveyors appointed by the shipping line, passed the shipping bill and filed the EGM as exported out. On paper at least, it is the duty of the customs department to see that on-boarding on shipping bill and passing of EGM is done by them to authenticate that the cargo has been shipped. In practice, they would blindly stamp on any thing, as long as the palms are greased and the red-tapes are secure.

In this case, the customs inspectorate, turned their own gluttony and felony on its head by putting the full blame on the shipping line. That's an expected given in our land of corruption. The shipping line continued pleading and haggling for praying a lesser bribe - but the agony became harsher and prolonged. Finally, the shipping line had to fork our a bribe of Rs 25,000/ in hard cash under the table to the inspector to get the shipping bills back and the permission for the ridiculous and vulgar 'out of town'. This took a neat 20 days.

Imagine, what could have happened if the DG cargo had exploded or imploded inside the Terminal. We could have had loss of lives, maiming or even seizure of port operations for days. The danger that was posed by this cargo was equivalent to what a terrorist could do to our port or airport. Therefore, our question should be - Who is more dangerous, a terrorist or a wolverine red-tape?

At times it is a shame to do business in our country, because the red-tapes are unbreakable to the common man and a malleable toy in the hands of the corrupt. 

For more & unedited versions, please visit & leave your opinions on, http://ourships.blogspot.com/

Brgds

Capt Rath

Econship Marine

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