By Nitin Waghela
Copyright republicworld
In the latest development to Tamil-Nadu based Wintrack Inc’s allegations of harassment by Chennai Customs officials, the Ministry of Finance has taken cognizance of the matter.“The Department of Revenue has been asked to undertake a “fair, transparent, and fact-based inquiry into the present issue,” the Ministry noted. In an earlier claim by the logistics firm, it said, “For the past 45 days, Chennai Customs officials have relentlessly harassed us. After exposing their bribery practices twice this year, they retaliated, effectively crippling our operations and destroying our business in India.”Founder of Wintrack Inc, Prawin Ganeshan, has continued to accuse officials of blocking shipments over technicalities, including charging cables for massagers being declared separately.Further, he said that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Legal Metrology (LMPC) compliances were suddenly enforced to delay clearances and rack up demurrages.However, Chennai Customs strongly refuted the charges.In a detailed statement, the Chennai Customs officials said the company had wrongly declared and misclassified goods” such as undeclared USB charging cables and not provide mandatory EPR certification under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022.After this came to light, the Ministry of Finance informed, “A Senior Officer from DoR has been deputed to conduct a detailed factual enquiry, hearing the parties concerned, officials and thoroughly examining all relevant documentary evidence.””The matter is being dealt with utmost seriousness, and the Government is committed to taking appropriate and expeditious action in accordance with the law. It is reiterated that the Government is committed to enhancing ease of doing business,” it said.
