Customers will have to go to Chennai for every certificate.

The Export Inspection Council has said in a notice dated June 10 that the Export Inspection Agency sub-offices in Coimbatore and Nagercoil in the State will be closed and the office in Chennai will cater to customers in these areas.

 

Across the country, eight sub-offices of the Agency will be closed by September 10 and there will be offices only in Chennai, New Delhi, and Mumbai.

 

An exporter or importer needs certificates from the Agency to supply or buy goods from countries with which India has trade agreements.

 

“No objection certificates for imports and GSP certificate for exports are given by the agency. Even now, when there is an office in Coimbatore, it takes two or three days to inspect the goods and issue a certificate. If it is closed, exporters and importers will have to go to Chennai for every certificate,” said P. Subramaniam, president of Custom House and Steamers Agents Association of Coimbatore.

 

 

The Council has taken a national-level decision to close its sub-offices. But, given the volume of exports and imports from Coimbatore region, it should re-consider and continue the functioning of the office here, he said.

 

Further, there is no trade notice or explanation regarding the closing down of the offices. Does it mean that exporters and importers can go in for self-certification ?, he asks.

 

There were many in this region who trade with countries such as China, Thailand, and Sri Lanka or with countries with which India had Preferential Trade or Free Trade Agreements. The transaction cost would go up for these exporters and importers as they need to travel to Chennai every time they need a certificate, wait for the inspection, and then get the certificate, he said.

 

The Custom House and Steamers Agents Association of Coimbatore appealed to the Centre to withdraw the notice and also urged all the industrial associations here to take up the issue with the government.

 

The Southern India Mills’ Association secretary general K. Selvaraju said that Coimbatore was an export cluster and closing down the office here would certainly affect the exporters. There were several challenges even where documentation was made online. In such a scenario, closing down the office here would not augur well for the exporters, he said.

 

Published On : 29-06-2019

 

Source : The Hindu