- Bribe Hotline
- 11 years ago
- 2148 views
Officer asking bribe
Most often I come across a situation wherein a custom officer asks for bribe. Else, he delays custom clearance of import shipment.
Custom clearing AGENT tells you that he need to pay bribe to get the goods cleared. You refuse and the office will start asking for documents which he will do nothing with but will ensure to ask for more document even if you give him what he asked for. Even after you produce all the required documents he will say that he cannot understand much from the documents and that he wants to see the cargo thoroughly knowing well that de-stuffing cargo will result in damage to the cargo and it become very difficult to stuff the cargo again in the container properly.
Custom procedure is such that even if you agree for detailed examination... to destuff you need permission from few more officers which takes at least a days time ... so your shipment is anyways going to get delayed....now that you have agreed to destuffing..... he will make you wait for the whole day and then he will come for examination in the evening when it is dark ....now he will say that he cannot 'see' ...so he will come tomorrow.........
now you get the entire cargo re-stuffed inside the container....pay though your nose for the labour and related expenses.
By this time you CUSTOM CLEARING AGENT will come to lose his patience...and he will start telling you that the only way out is to pay bribe.
....next day he will again not come at all stating that he is busy with other work.....you beg to him and he will come after a lot of delay ....again in the evening he will tell you that he has now seen the cargo and he will study the documents and do the needful.
then he will write in RED remark that he feels the goods are under-valued and that revaluation should be done.
Now, you know this is going to take a lot of time. So, you become helpless and despite having resisted all this while you are made to feel that you are a fool.
By any chance if you decide to still fight on then ..... more delays....... 15-20 more days and bu that time your shipments demmurrage and detention is close to 50thousand..... then all the herd of CHAs will give you GYAN that you are a fool that you did not pay bribe.
......can some one tell me how can one avoid paying bribe.
I can bet that there is no one who can control this department.
I can tell you one thing...... if India is lagging in manufacturing it is only because of CENTRAL EXCISE & CUSTOMS department.
I can bet.....you take this department out of the system and you can see India becoming world leader in manufacturing.
can any body can suggest a way out!