Launching of CCH automation today
Monday, 6 October 2008
FE Report
The automated service of the Chittagong Customs House (CCH) starts today (Monday) by which the processing of export and import documents will require less time, money and provide hassle-free services to the port users.
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will inaugurate the automation system at a programme to be held at 11am at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC). He will fill up a bill of entry form to formally launch the automation system, said Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Saifuzzaman Chowdhury at a press conference Sunday
"We hope the automation system will expedite the processing of export and import documents making it easy and transparent and will certainly increase customs revenue earnings from the Chittagong Port," said the CCCI president at the press conference held at the National Press Club.
The CCH carried out a trial automation for processing export and import documents early this month.
With the financial assistance of CCCI, the CCH started installation of the automation system in August this year under Chittagong Custom House Automation Project and the total cost of the system was Tk 50 million, said the CCCI president.
The CCCI will operate the system for five years and if not renewed, the entire system will be operated by CCH.
From September 9 this year, the CCH started processing of the Import General Manifest (IGM) and Export General Manifest (EGM) documents that deal with export and import.
The automation system includes eight modules such as writ management, law and litigation management, extra duty section management, cargo manifest management including EGM (Export General Manifest) and IGM (Import General Manifest), bill of entry and export management system, licence and security management system, auction management system and valuation management system.
According to CCH, the project will provide 16 services round-the-clock.
"Out of the eight modules, six have already been installed and the remaining two will be completed within the next two months," CCCI president said.
The new system will help save turn around time and costs of processing documents of the exporters and importers.
The CCCI president said the users will have round-the-clock services under the automation system and need not to come to the CCH physically as they will be able to track their reports on computers at their offices.
He said it had taken the move after the European Union decided to stop receiving any manually handled document against imports from July 2009. A call centre has been set up at the CCCI to give round-the-clock services to the consignees as well as shippers.
The CCCI president said exporters and importers will not have to pay anything as the costs will be borne by the port users like shipping agents and freight forwarders.
According to Chittagong Port authorities, customs revenue earnings at the Chittagong port increased by about 29 per cent to Tk 139.42 billion in fiscal year 2007-08 compared to the previous fiscal because of the government's move to improve efficiency and check corruption.
The port has a target of earning Tk 154.74 billion as customs revenue during the current fiscal as port authorities have introduced the automated system to collect revenue, the port officials said.
Revenue earnings increased to over Tk 31.65 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal against Tk 24.10 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal, they added.
"Revenue earnings from the Chittagong port never crossed Tk 108 billion mark earlier but the caretaker government's anti-corruption drives sealed many loopholes of corruption. We' hope the automation system will make the system easy and transparent," the port authorities said.
Among others, CCCI Vice-president Mahbub Alam, Managing Director of DataSoft Mahboob Zaman and other high officials of CCCI were present on the occasion.
The automated service of the Chittagong Customs House (CCH) starts today (Monday) by which the processing of export and import documents will require less time, money and provide hassle-free services to the port users.
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will inaugurate the automation system at a programme to be held at 11am at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC). He will fill up a bill of entry form to formally launch the automation system, said Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Saifuzzaman Chowdhury at a press conference Sunday
"We hope the automation system will expedite the processing of export and import documents making it easy and transparent and will certainly increase customs revenue earnings from the Chittagong Port," said the CCCI president at the press conference held at the National Press Club.
The CCH carried out a trial automation for processing export and import documents early this month.
With the financial assistance of CCCI, the CCH started installation of the automation system in August this year under Chittagong Custom House Automation Project and the total cost of the system was Tk 50 million, said the CCCI president.
The CCCI will operate the system for five years and if not renewed, the entire system will be operated by CCH.
From September 9 this year, the CCH started processing of the Import General Manifest (IGM) and Export General Manifest (EGM) documents that deal with export and import.
The automation system includes eight modules such as writ management, law and litigation management, extra duty section management, cargo manifest management including EGM (Export General Manifest) and IGM (Import General Manifest), bill of entry and export management system, licence and security management system, auction management system and valuation management system.
According to CCH, the project will provide 16 services round-the-clock.
"Out of the eight modules, six have already been installed and the remaining two will be completed within the next two months," CCCI president said.
The new system will help save turn around time and costs of processing documents of the exporters and importers.
The CCCI president said the users will have round-the-clock services under the automation system and need not to come to the CCH physically as they will be able to track their reports on computers at their offices.
He said it had taken the move after the European Union decided to stop receiving any manually handled document against imports from July 2009. A call centre has been set up at the CCCI to give round-the-clock services to the consignees as well as shippers.
The CCCI president said exporters and importers will not have to pay anything as the costs will be borne by the port users like shipping agents and freight forwarders.
According to Chittagong Port authorities, customs revenue earnings at the Chittagong port increased by about 29 per cent to Tk 139.42 billion in fiscal year 2007-08 compared to the previous fiscal because of the government's move to improve efficiency and check corruption.
The port has a target of earning Tk 154.74 billion as customs revenue during the current fiscal as port authorities have introduced the automated system to collect revenue, the port officials said.
Revenue earnings increased to over Tk 31.65 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal against Tk 24.10 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal, they added.
"Revenue earnings from the Chittagong port never crossed Tk 108 billion mark earlier but the caretaker government's anti-corruption drives sealed many loopholes of corruption. We' hope the automation system will make the system easy and transparent," the port authorities said.
Among others, CCCI Vice-president Mahbub Alam, Managing Director of DataSoft Mahboob Zaman and other high officials of CCCI were present on the occasion.