Jurisdiction reorganisation in customs Chennai zone updates commissionerate responsibilities and prosecutorial listing.
Public Notice No. 04/2019 amends Annexure A of Public Notice No. 21/2018 by: replacing Airport Commissionerate point ix with "Warehouse and Disposal (to handle both Chennai and Chennai VI' cases)" and replacing Air Cargo Commissionerate point I(xii) with "Prosecution/ COFEPOSA." The amendments affect the recorded jurisdictional responsibilities of those Commissionerates and are effective from January 2019 until further orders.

Return-to-sender customs duty cancellation: FPOs must forward RTS parcel lists for verification and duty cancellation.
Undelivered articles and RTS parcels imported via the Foreign Post Office (Chennai Sea) must be returned to origin and the FPO must forward periodic lists of such parcels, including customs duty levied and reasons for non delivery, to the Commissioner of Customs (Imports), Chennai for verification and cancellation of the customs duty.

Custodianship extension for a Container Freight Station under Customs law, subject to cargo handling regulations and compliance.
Extension of custodianship of M/s SICAL Multimodal and Rail Transport Limited (SMART) Container Freight Station (CFS), Visakhapatnam, is granted for a ten-year renewal term, conditioned on compliance with the Handling of Cargo in Customs Area Regulations, 2009 as amended and on adherence to instructions and guidelines issued by the Board and the Custom House.

Central Public Information Officer appointment designates a customs CPIO and specifies his jurisdiction and contact details.
Shri Madoli Daso, Assistant Commissioner, is designated as the Central Public Information Officer for the customs division in Imphal with immediate effect; the notice provides his office address, contact numbers, and enumerates the specific territorial jurisdictions within which he will handle requests and responsibilities.

EGM errors delay drawback and IGST refunds; exporters must submit shipping bill and master bill of lading for rectification.
Pending drawback and IGST refund claims result from EGM related errors. Customs has posted three lists of affected shipping bills on the port website: shipping bills filed at the port pending IGST refunds, shipping bills filed at other ICDs with the port as gateway pending IGST claims, and shipping bills at the port pending drawback claims. Affected exporters must email a legible scanned shipping bill and the Master Bill of Lading (not house bills or freight receipts) to the designated customs email for rectification to enable processing of pending claims.

Re-imported goods exemption: procedural pre-filing requires surrender of export benefits and intimation to expedite clearance.
Importers must file advance or prior bills of entry for re-imported goods claiming exemption and, before filing, surrender export incentives as required and submit intimation of re-importation to the DC/AC of Customs and the licensing authority, uploading proof to e-sanchit; if these pre-filing conditions cannot be met the bill may be filed without claiming the exemption, and claimants meeting requirements may have identity established under second check while variation or mis-declaration may attract denial of exemption and penal action.

PGA Exception Data Accuracy: Proper coded entry required to avoid incorrect routing and delay in clearances.
Importers and customs brokers must use the SWIFT PGA Filing Quick Referencer to correctly populate PGA Exception entries in the integrated declaration: enter Info_type as PEC, Info_qfr with the PGA category code and info_code with the PGA serial number per Annexure IV. Consult CTH PGA mapping to identify required agencies and supply data for all listed agencies; use coded values where specified (including coded Enduse). Omitted data must be re submitted by amendment to avoid incorrect routing to PGAs and delays.

Permission for import/export extended at Adani Kandla Bulk Terminal under EPCG, Advance Authorization and Duty Free Import schemes.
Permission for Import/Export from Adani Kandla Bulk Terminal Pvt. Ltd. is extended for one year until 05/12/2019 on the same terms and conditions, preserving eligibility to handle all permissible goods under the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme, Advance Authorization scheme and Duty Free Import Authorization scheme; trade associations and customs brokers are requested to publicize the extension.

Paperless Processing enables electronic upload and IRN linkage of export supporting documents for online customs verification and clearance.
Exporters and authorised persons must upload supporting documents on ICEGATE via the e SANCHIT link for all ICES locations nationwide; documents uploaded after Shipping Bill generation receive a unique Image Reference Number (IRN) and must be linked to the Shipping Bill by amendment at the Service Centre. Customs will access and assess electronic documents on ICES, issue queries for which documents may be uploaded using the same IRN/linking procedure, and will record examination results and deliver Let Export Orders online. The Shipping Bill Regulations, 2011 allow digitally signed electronic declarations and require the authorized person to retain for a period of 5 years original supporting documents.

Transshipment permission for air carrier renewed subject to transshipment regulations, bonds, guarantees, procedural compliance and reporting requirements.
M/S InterGlobe Aviation Limited is permitted to transship imported cargo between New Delhi Air Cargo Complex and specified domestic airports under the Goods Imported (Conditions of Transshipment) Regulations and related circulars, subject to prescribed customs procedures, execution and maintenance of an import transshipment bond and bank guarantee, responsibility for shortage or pilferage including payment of duties and penalties, adherence to the Foreign Trade Policy and allied laws, payment of cost recovery charges, prohibition on outsourcing without permission, and other statutory instructions.

AEO facilitation portal enables certified traders to lodge priority requests for expedited customs processing and remedies online.
An AEO facilitation portal enables registered Authorized Economic Operators using specified Delhi-zone ports to submit online prioritization requests for assessment, examination, amendment of Bills of Entry/Shipping Bills, drawback claims under Section 74, and IGST refund error rectification. Requests notify mapped AC/DC-level officers via SMS who must act promptly; a portal-generated log will be reviewed daily by port CRMs, who must inform AEO clients on request closure. Clients must provide commissionerate, BE/SB number, assessment group and section when filing requests and may contact their CRM for portal assistance.

Container weighment compliance required: all import-export containers at ICD must be weighed under cargo handling regulations.
Requires strict compliance with mandatory weighment of exim containers at ICD, Amingaon: the custodian reported no containers weighed since the weighbridge was commissioned, and the order directs that all containers be weighed in accordance with the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009 and the cited CBEC circular.

eSANCHIT mandatory upload of export supporting documents required, streamlining compliance and expediting export clearance processes nationwide.
eSANCHIT is mandated for exports: exporters and customs brokers must upload digitally signed supporting documents for shipping bills on eSANCHIT for all export types under ICES, using the same upload procedure as prescribed for imports. The public notice operates as a standing order for Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House staff; trade must use the facility to reduce costs and expedite clearances and may report difficulties to the EDI section.

AEO T1 online filing launched; manual processing continues temporarily while accreditation and certificate validity synchronization implemented.
A web-based portal (aeoindia.gov.in) enables online AEO-T1 applications-registration, sign up and submission of Annexures 1 and 2-with submitted applications routed to Customs dashboards for staged verification and processing ending in certificate generation by the Directorate of International Customs; manual filing remains permitted concurrently until 31.03.2019 to ensure seamless transition, support is available via DIC and a Kolkata CRM, and programme oversight intervals for reviews and onsite PCA for AEO-T1/T2 are extended while DIC may initiate reviews at any time.

Empanelment of chartered engineers for valuation of second hand imported machinery; applications require institutional affiliation, verification and reporting.
Chartered Engineers affiliated to the Institution of Engineers (India) may apply for empanelment to value second hand, old and used imported machinery and related goods; applications require prescribed forms, undertakings and supporting certificates, physical verification and valuation reports in accordance with CBEC Circular No. 25/2015. Shortlisted applicants will be vetted, referred to the Institution for confirmation, interviewed by a senior Customs panel, and on empanelment must submit half yearly self appraisals, maintain independence and integrity, and face suspension or cancellation for false information or improper valuation.

EGM errors delay IGST export refunds; custodians, shipping agents and preventive officers must file and reconcile EGMs and stuffing reports.
Errors in Export General Manifest (EGM) filings, mismatches between local and gateway EGMs, and non-filing of stuffing reports by Preventive officers obstruct automated IGST refund processing. Custodians, shipping lines and agents must maintain tally sheets linking previous and new container numbers and Bills of Lading; inland stakeholders must file local EGMs online before movement. Preventive officers shall enter stuffing reports and may use the PREV OFF role and Gateway EGM CTR Amendment option to correct container and N/C errors; shipping lines may file supplementary EGMs where none exist.

Refund Procedure Enhancement: online upload of supporting invoices with GST refund claims to streamline sanctioning and address IGST errors.
Notifications, Circulars and Orders implementing 31st GST Council recommendations introduce a facility to upload all supporting documents and invoices online with Form GST RFD-01A to facilitate refund claims. A CBIC Circular delineates stakeholder roles in the IGST refund sanction process, addresses SB006 error-related delays, and provides a grace period for filing EGMs of past cargo consignments without penal consequences to enable sanctioning of held refunds.

SAD refund drive requires claimants to submit prescribed documents for pending refunds; unsubmitted cases decided on available records.
A special SAD refund drive from 16 to 31 January 2019 requires importers, customs brokers and stakeholders to submit replies and prescribed documents for pending SAD refund claims to the SAD Refund Sections; claimants with remanded matters or outstanding orders/payments must approach the section with valid acknowledgements for processing, otherwise cases will be decided on the basis of available records.

Bonded warehouse operations continuation in public warehouses permitted for previously authorised operators pending compliance transition and procedures.
Permission is authorised to continue manufacturing and related operations in public bonded warehouses for operators who held jurisdictional permission under the prior regime, notwithstanding the streamlining directive directing such operations to private bonded warehouses; continuation is subject to existing permissions and compliance with the prescribed procedures for record maintenance and discharge of duty liabilities, and stakeholders facing difficulties should report to the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai-IV.

Electronic publication of court orders required: computer-printed signed orders uploaded same day and recorded in case management.
All orders passed by Benches, including adjournments, must be computer printed, signed, and uploaded by SPS/Steno to the website the same day; orders are identified by date only, handwritten orders are prohibited, and after uploading the signed printed order is given to the Court Master to place in the appeal folder. Court staff must use CIS software to record proceedings for bulk and individual cause lists, and the Court Master must mark folders and upload court proceeding entries. These directions supersede prior manual provisions and take immediate effect.