Since last week, the Customs officials in Phuentshogling have decided to do away with the compulsory weighing of trucks loaded with goods in order to obtain customs clearance. This, according to officials is to ease the traffic congestion in the town. It was proposed by the Thromde who held a meeting with the customs last week.
With the Customs’ weighbridge located next to the highway, trucks had to be parked along the road while they wait for their turns to weigh their loads. This narrowed the highway causing traffic congestion. This congestion, the Thromde office, said was the most common complaint from the public. Therefore, doing away with the process was the only solution.
According to Customs officials, weighing of the goods is to detect deflection of goods and bogus import along with overvaluation and undervaluation of goods imported. In a telephone interview, Pema Wangchen, the Joint Collector of Customs and Excise in Phuentshogling said henceforth, except for suspicious cases, the Customs inspectors will carry out only physical verification of the documents and goods. This process, however, he said will not be able to determine the exact weight of the goods and could result in increasing overvaluation and undervaluation cases.
To this, Thromde officials said, the proposal was not to completely do away with the process. They said, customs officials could still weigh trucks if necessary.
Meanwhile, they added that this measure is temporary and the plan to relocate the weighbridge is underway. An area has been identified near the existing truck parking and budget is approved. The new weighbridge will be ready by the end of this financial year.
