Project import benefit requires prior contract registration and import licence compliance before goods are imported.

Project import assessment under Heading 84.66 depends on strict compliance with the Project Imports (Registration of Contract) Regulations, 1965. An application for registration must be filed before import and soon after obtaining the import licence, with the prescribed particulars for assessment. Where goods required an import licence that had not been obtained at the time of import, and the registration request was made only after the Bill of Entry and related import events, the statutory precondition was not met. A later recommendation from the District Industries Centre could not substitute for the regulatory requirement. The project import benefit was therefore unavailable.

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Issues: Whether the appellants were entitled to assessment under Heading 84.66 as a project import despite non-compliance with the Project Imports (Registration of Contract) Regulations, 1965.

Analysis: Regulation 3 required an application for registration of the contract to be made to the proper officer before import and soon after obtaining the import licence, with the necessary particulars for assessment under Heading 84.66. The imported goods were found to require an import licence, which had not been obtained when the goods were imported, and a later recommendation from the District Industries Centre could not replace the statutory requirement. The record also showed that the application for registration was made after the Bill of Entry and after the import-related events, indicating that the project import claim was not made in advance as contemplated by the regulations.

Conclusion: The appellants were not entitled to assessment under Heading 84.66 and the claim for project import benefit failed.

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