KOCHI: Since the floods, 219.7 tonnes of relief materials worth Rs 25.5 crore have arrived from foreign countries via airports in the state by availing of Customs duty exemption. As the Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, was closed following the floods, a majority of the relief goods from foreign countries reached the state via the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode airports.
The data provided by the Customs Department said 200 tonnes of relief materials worth Rs 25. 29 crore arrived through Thiruvananthapuram till September 4, while 19.7 tonnes worth Rs 28.93 lakh arrived from the Kozhikode airport.The relief goods have been classified into two categories based on the notification by the Central and state governments.
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The Central notification (148/94) waives off Customs duty on food, blanket, medicines and clothing brought for relief. The state government notification (59/2018) permits only the Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode District Collectors to receive such imported relief materials and distribute it among people in distress.
The state government notification (59/18) said 192.71 tonnes of relief materials worth Rs 25.19 crore landed in Thiruvananthapuram. Under the Centre’s notification food, blankets, clothing and medicines worth Rs 50 lakh were received from private agencies.
“Our units are working round-the-clock at airports to clear the relief consignments. The Customs duty exemption is already provided on relief goods. We are clearing the consignments and handing them over to representatives of the district administrations posted at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode airports. Since the Cochin airport has restarted operations, we have deployed our personnel to clear relief goods received there,” said Sumit Kumar, Customs Commissioner.
Another Customs officer said since the state government notification directed handing over relief consignments availing of the exemption to District Collectors only, some agencies decided to pay Customs duty.
“Some private agencies wanted to distribute the relief goods which availed of the duty directly. Since the state government notification bars them from doing so, they paid Customs duty for the import of relief goods. So the exact quantity of relief goods arriving from abroad would be a little higher,” he said.
17 tonnes of materials at Cochin airport
Since the reopening of Cochin airport on August 29, 17 tonnes of relief materials arrived there till September 4. Of them, water pumps sent from Dubai to pump out water from Kuttanad was received after paying Customs duty. The water pumps alone weigh around 16 tonnes. Seven foreign consignments reached through the airport, including three from Dubai, two from Kuwait one each from Bahrain and Germany.