From Chief Commissioner’s Desk

It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you to the website of Ahmedabad Customs Zone. I hope that this website will be a useful interface to facilitate the interactions and cooperation between the stake holders and the Customs formations of this Zone.

To begin with, I take this opportunity to share with you a brief overview about this Zone.  Ahmedabad Customs Zone having its office at 2^nd floor, Customs House, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad and headed by the Chief Commissioner of Customs, started functioning in March, 2000. The jurisdiction of this Zone extends over the entire State of Gujarat and also includes the Union Territories of Daman, Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli. This Zone exercises administrative control over four executive Commissionerates namely Ahmedabad, Jamnagar (Preventive), Kandla and Mundra as well as the office of the Commissioner (Appeals), Customs, Ahmedabad. The Sea Port of Mundra which falls under the jurisdiction of this Zone is one of the biggest ports in the country in terms of cargo handling. This Zone also has three International Airports at Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat and a Diamond Bourse located at Surat namely the Surat Diamond Bourse. Over and above all this, the Ship Breaking Yard located at Alang, Bhavnagar (which falls under the jurisdiction of the Customs Commissionerate of Jamnagar (Preventive)) is the biggest Ship Breaking Yard in the country where more than a hundred ships are dismantled every year.

Trade facilitation measures will continue to occupy top priority for this Zone with initiatives like increased workflow automation, emphasis on online/digital transactions with minimal direct human interface, adherence to Citizens Charter, establishing effective, open and interactive communication channels with stakeholders, industry bodies and participating Government agencies (PGAs). Every effort will be made to institute robust & full proof delivery mechanisms to eliminate delays. Deferred duty payments, reduction of dwell time of cargo by measures such as Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT), simplifying export procedures, Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) Scheme, advanced filing of Bills of Entry, reduced documentation and online filing of documents through e-Sanchit etc. serve as effective means to facilitate expeditious clearance of import and export goods. As part of our action plan, it is our endeavour to help members of trade in all possible ways, encourage voluntary compliance and build mutual trust on the one hand and on the other hand take measures to combat duty evasion, commercial frauds and smuggling activities. 

Recently, a proposal regarding declaration of Rajkot Airport as Customs Airport has been received from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), New Delhi. The said proposal has been taken up for further necessary action and I earnestly hope that this will result in one more International Airport becoming operational in this Zone, in the near future.

Augmenting Infrastructure will also be a thrust area with increased focus on expeditious completion of pending projects, initiation of fresh projects to meet the increased official and residential requirements of officers, optimal utilization of space available with the Department in the best possible manner and regular maintenance and upkeep of the land & buildings under this Zone.  The construction of the Staff Quarters for the Officers of Customs at Jamnagar, which commenced in the month of February in the year 2023 is nearing completion and is expected to be available to the Officers for residential purpose shortly.

I also take this opportunity to drive home the point to every member of this Zone as well as the larger extended family of all stakeholders that our success is built upon the continuous and coordinated efforts of everyone. No stone will be left unturned to achieve excellence in administering the Government’s policies in a pragmatic and judicious manner, creating a climate for voluntary compliance, supplementing efforts to ensure national security and aimed at realizing revenues in a fair, equitable, transparent and efficient manner.

Jai Hind!

(Shri Pranesh Pathak)
Chief Commissioner, Customs Ahmedabad Zone