KOCHI: The controversy over the “illegal” export of photocopiers through the Kochi port is refusing to die down, with the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) yet again writing to the Customs Commissioner in Kochi, seeking re-export of the consignment at the earliest.
The communication comes barely two weeks after a division bench of the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) in Bengaluru set aside an earlier order of the Customs Department to re-export the machines.
According to PCB officials, the communication was forwarded in view of an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last month. In February, the board had asked the Customs Department to send back the e-waste within 90 days from the date of its arrival in the country at the importers’ cost.
“The agency wanted to know if a clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, as possessed by the importers, was enough to permit the export. In our reponse, we have cited the amended E-waste Management Rules - 2016, which stipulate a nod from the Central Pollution Control Board for such exports,” said M.A. Baiju, Chief Environmental Engineer, SPCB, Kochi.
Nearly six months ago, the Customs Department had ordered the Kolkata-based importers to re-export the 3,100 machines that arrived at the Kochi port, besides seeking a redemption fine of ₹1.5 crore on the Kolkata-based importers. The exporter agencies later approached CESTAT seeking reversal of the order.
Meanwhile, officials sought to reject reports describing the shipment as e-waste.
“These machines, which have a residual life between five to seven years, have been classified as other waste. They are being imported after due adjudication process and after paying import duty,” they pointed out.
Officials had seized container shipments of Multi-functional Digital Printers, imported mainly from the US and Germany by Kolkata-based companies. Multi-functional Digital Printers (MFDs) contain poisonous elements like cadmium, selenium, and iridium.
Though the importers approached the Kerala High Court after the Customs Department had denied permission to import the consignment, the court refused to intervene in the customs probe.
