The Model Customs Collectorate, Hyderabad, has destroyed Rs6.362 million worth of goods seized from the various parts of the district. The goods consisted of foreign made gutka worth Rs45,00,000, drug leaves worth Rs12,00,000 and fire crackers worth Rs6,62,200. Speaking to journalists during a ceremony held at the office to mark the International Customs Day (ICD), Collector of the Customs, Hyderabad, Abdul Razzaque, said that millions of rupees worth of oil smuggled from Iran was seized and auctioned throughout the year. Other speakers delivered speeches on “Border Divide and Customs Connect” and coordinated enforcement and drug prohibition, international transits, and import and export information exchange. Officers of the Customs briefed audience and correspondents about problems being faced by the department. They stressed that the Customs needed modern equipments and fully trained officials with a view to detecting hidden illegal drugs in vehicle and human body and seizing them. They said that the growing expansion in trade volume of Pakistan which was now crossing mark of US$60 billion, tricky Afghan Transit Trade long borders, including staff problems, lack of modern equipment, limited budget for Customs infrastructure, increased pressures on organization and increased the list of challenges that it had to combat. They said that the US Customs had 19,000 staff, state-of-the-art machinery, including database, mobile X-Rays, 78 vessels, 116 aircraft, 39 helicopters and millions of dollars of budget, but it could seized only 1,100 kg of heroin a year. Earlier, Chief commissioner, Naseer Yazdani, and collecter, Abdul Razzaq, hoisted the national flag with Custom flag in the premises of the Model Customs Collectorate, the ceremony attended a large number of employees of the department and awards and cash prizes were distributed on outstanding performances of the staff.

(Source- thenews.com)