The new rule notified by the Finance Ministry that passengers entering the country must declare Indian currency if they are carrying more than Rs. 10,000 has drawn the ire of frequent flyers.
According to the new rule which comes into effect from March 1, passengers should also give a declaration of the number of pieces of baggage they would bring into the country.
M. R. Ranjani, (25), an IT professional based out of Singapore said that such rules would cause difficulty for frequent flyers.
“There will be tighter scrutiny by customs officials. So, in cases when I have to hurry for an appointment immediately after the arrival of the flight, I may be delayed. As such, there are several occasions when we have to wait to clear customs procedures; such a rule will only exacerbate our wait,” she said.
K. Ramachandran (name changed), another passenger, also felt entry to the country would become an onerous process if they had to declare even sums such as Rs. 10, 000.
“I don’t see the point of introducing such rules to declare even baggage and hand baggage; it will only subject passengers to further harassment,” he said.
This may also bring down traffic and discourage passengers from coming into the country frequently, an official of Airport Authority of India (AAI) said.
“Some officials may misuse this rule and take passengers for a ride. We don’t see any justification for introducing such a rule for passengers who arrive,” he noted.
