Aizawl (The Hawk): The northeast, notably Mizoram, is rife with drug, cigarette, gold, and exotic animal smuggling from Myanmar, but the Customs Department is struggling with a labour shortage and inadequate storage facilities.
Officials from the Customs Department met with Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Wednesday at the Raj Bhavan and discussed a number of issues, including a lack of manpower. They were led by Assistant Commissioner H.L. Songate.
According to a representative of the Mizoram government, the Customs officials informed the Governor that a lack of staff and inadequate warehouses were impeding their ability to effectively check the inflow of products from Bangladesh and Myamar across the border.
Songate advised the Governor that bolstering the facilities and infrastructure at the Zokhawthar and Lawngtlai Silsury Land Customs Stations might significantly aid in improving the oversight of border trade with the surrounding nations.
The Governor gave the Customs officials reassurance that he would work with them to address any issues they were having and asked them to submit any complaints or requests for assistance in writing.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the Governor of Mizoram were recently encouraged to restore commerce with Myanmar through the Zokhawthar border crossing by the Mizoram-based International Trade Initiative Forum (ITIF).
"In the absence of the formal and regular official border trade between India and Myanmar, not only is smuggling and illegal trade going on unchecked, but the government is losing crores of rupees in revenue," ITIF President P.C. Lawmkunga, a retired IAS officer who served as Manipur's Chief Secretary, told IANS.
(Inputs from Agencies)
