To promote “faceless, contactless and paperless” Customs work, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has issued a circular, asking all concerned to rely on digital copies and stop taking print-outs from 22 June, thereby saving customs offices from maintaining huge number of physical dockets.

However, poor infrastructure like poor electricity and Internet connectivity at remote land and rail ports in various areas, including Malda, have come up as barriers in executing the order, exporters and customs officers have lamented.

The contactless procedure is also doubly welcomed by all related to the export and import business, especially during times of the pandemic, but are also facing huge problems in executing the same.

“As per the circular, no paper will be required for export, and only digital shipping bill and Let Export Order (LEO) will be sent to exporters and agents. For security purposes, these digital testimonials will bear a digitally signed and encrypted QR code to be read easily through a mobile application. Again, a version number will also be embedded in the QR code to ascertain the validity of the LEO. Every step of export is now paperless, contactless as far as office work is concerned, but the lack of infrastructure has come as the only hindrance,” a customs official said.

According to Ujjal Saha, the General Secretary of the West Bengal Exporters’ Co-ordination Committee, the initiative is no doubt excellent, but the actual scenario will remain the opposite until proper electricity and internet connectivity is upgraded at all land and rail ports of the country.

“Otherwise, traders and other people related to trade and even the government will bear losses. Vehicles have to wait for a long time at Mahadipur, Hili and other border ports in the absence of either electricity or internet or both. As such, the government should also look into this fact,” he said.

Superintendent of customs (in-charge) at the Mahadipur land port on the Indo-Bangladesh border in Malda, said electricity loadshedding and breach of Internet connectivity is frequent and at times very lengthy.

“We have written several times to the departments concerned, but the problems persist,” he said.