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The government remains committed to ironing out the issues faced by stakeholders to ensure that inland waterways remain a transformational force to bring positive economic development in the North East region, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Monday. Sonowal participated in a stakeholder meeting to unlock the EXIM trade potential of Dhubri Port in Assam, an official release said on Monday. Highlighting the role of Dhubri and the region in the overall growth of the region, the ports, shipping and waterways said Dhubri, with its rich history as a thriving river port, is poised to unlock huge value by acting as a lynchpin of growth for the region. "Given the immense potential of Dhubri port, we are also considering building a modern integrated office complex where offices of Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Home Affair will be present. A new warehouse as well as a new road are also being considered to be built at Dhubri port which .
Amid system glitches faced by EXIM traders, the CBIC on Thursday waived interest on Customs duty payable through the Electronic Cash Ledger (ECL) between April 1-10. An upgraded Customs duty payments system was launched by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on April 1. However, members of trade complained of difficulties in making duty payments over the customs automated system. "In order to alleviate burden of EXIM Trade, owing to pending resolution of duty payment issues on customs portal, CBIC has waived interest on duty payable in respect of goods where payment is to be made from ECL from April 1 to April 10," CBIC said. Through the Customs (Waiver of Interest) Order, 2023, the CBIC said in respect of the Bills of Entry for which import duty payment has already occurred and integrated in ICES during the said period, traders can claim refund of interest. KPMG Tax Partner Abhishek Jain said importers have been facing challenges for the last couple of days owin