The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has directed the Directorate General of Transit Trade, Karachi, to manage and supervise all container/cargo scanners, including the customs integrated scanning system, for meaningful utilization at ports by the concerned customs officials.
The FBR has issued S.R.O. 1017(I)/2022 to amend the S.R.O. 609(1)/2020 pertaining to the powers, functions, and jurisdiction of the Directorate General of Transit Trade, Karachi.
According to the notification, the directorate would be empowered by the establishment of a Customs Integrated Scanning System using the latest technology. In this regard, the directorate shall, inter cilia, perform the laid down functions under the S.R.O. 1017(I)/2022.
The directorate would be engaged in the planning and managing of all matters relating to the establishment of the customs integrated scanning system and getting control rooms integrated with the scanners installed at any port, terminal, or custom station in the country and are used or intended to be used for Customs procedure of Non-Intrusive Inspection.
The directorate would have the authority for operations and maintenance of all Customs scanners installed or to be installed under any project such as RCA, PRRP, ITTMS, etc., and all matters relating to the training of the Customs officers in the field of Image analysis or interpretation; planning and establishing the central and local control rooms, wherever needed, and all matters including financial, human resource management, etc. for meeting operational requirements of control rooms.
The directorate would be assisting the collectorates and the directorates by interpreting, analyzing, and reporting upon scanned images of containers or cargo relating to import, export, transit, transshipment, or any other stream of cargo with the help of trained image analysts working at respective control rooms and providing solutions to secure the integrity of bonded cargo being transported from point A to point B, by matching in the system the scanned images taken at both points.
The Directorate would work as a designated focal point for providing customs input and requirements relating to existing as well as planned scanners for installation at any custom stations, whether these scanners are already procured or to be procured by the Federal Board of Revenue or Government of Pakistan or any international organization or a donor agency, FBR stated.
