Ahmad Nabi
LANDI KOTAL: The custom department introduced Web Based One Customs (WeBOC) system effective from 21 February 2018 and implemented on all export at Pak-Afghan sharing border, Torkham, however the clearing agents association, Torkham resented it and asked for its revision till provision of facilities.
According to customs department WeBOC is a one-window and an interactive system that works in a completely paperless manner. One can enter into the portal of WeBOC by clicking its link and carry out all his activities related to Customs from anywhere in Pakistan.
All one requires is a User ID, a computer and an Internet connection. The business community can avail the services of WeBOC 24 hours a day and seven days a week and the Customs department is replacing it with old manual system in wide and length of the country.
Vice-President, clearing agents’ association, Torkham Haji Wahid Shinwari said that the prevailed one-custom entry system was online and useful procedure of the clearing process that facilitated the agents but in WeBOC one had to avail an opportunity to enter the system through special ID along with thousands of other users throughout the country and the process could take minutes, hours or some time days.
“We have bad experienced of WeBOC while imposed it on import, as the Customs officials could not fulfill their promises, made with us, regarding facilitating in clearing imports commodities”, Shinwari opined. He further said that provision of 16 GB net services and continues supply of power were the main requirements for WeBOC working process but regretfully Torkham town lacked the facility that would certainly effect their business and till provision of all facilities they would not resume their clearing activities in Torkham.
Assistant Collector(AC),Torkham custom center, Miss Sayada Sadaf Ali Shah while sharing details of the WeBOC said that it was universal policy of Customs throughout the country and the purpose of to observe the whole process of exporting and for its smooth function all basic needs would be provided at Torkham.
AC, Customs added that with the assistance of National Logistic Cell (NLC) containers each with five computers had been installed in Torkham to facilitate the clearing agents. “As the clearing agents’ community is unfamiliar with the new clearing system therefore custom department arranged training session for the agents but ironically only 12 agents wiling got training and the rest of the agents refused to join it”, she added and saying fast net facilities and undisrupted power supply would be ensured to avoid disrupting of business activity at the border. In that regard service of Wateen had been hired for provision of speedy net services and with cooperation NLC power supply would be supplied, she maintained.
WeBOC, which had been implemented on import at Torkham border since August, 2015 and was successfully in practice and would be also fruitful in export. Torkham clearing agents association categorically rejected imposition of the WeBOC system at Torkham border and said the bordering area had deficiency of all basic facilities including electricity, internet etc, required for running the system.
When one of the exporter, Haji Jaber Khan was asked for his comments on WeBOC he said that it was a fair and on line system and one could clear his export goods from everywhere in Pakistan but unluckily he added it would leave hundreds of agents jobless as a single person could do work of ten persons with one computer under the system.
Meanwhile Torkham clearing agents association announced their indefinite strike against the imposing of WeBOC system on export and said it was a step mother behavior towards them as the new clearing system was not functioned in other parts of the country including Chaman border but the authority preferred to implement it on Torkham. Due to suspension of the export clearing process hundreds of trailers loaded with export commodities stuck at Torkham border.
