Shipments worth ₹3,000-5,000 crore are stuck at ports across India due to glitches in Customs IT system. Importers have alleged that the duty payment option on ICEGATE system still isn't functioning properly, leading to them paying demurrage charges worth ₹500-700 crore.
Demurrage charges are paid when a merchant uses a container within terminal beyond free time period.
The customs department had launched a new updated IT system on April 1 for payment of duty by importers, including an electronic cash ledger payment system aimed at ensuring ease of doing business. However, importers claim that they are still facing issues in making payments through the ICEGATE system.
Because of the non-functioning of the system, customs authorities have started manual clearance of goods to facilitate trade.
Customs officials are holding pan-India interactions with trade to address concerns and issues related to the IT system glitches. The current situation with the customs IT system is likely to have a negative impact on trade, as importers continue to face difficulties in clearing their shipments.
