Customs officials of Tuticorin port today told Madras High Court that they could scan only 20 containers a day due to one scanner machine and sought more equipments to check the import of banned Chinese crackers.
They were responding to query from Justices N Kirubakaran and S Vaidhyanathan of Madurai Bench regarding problem in checking containers loaded with Chinese crackers, the import of which had been banned, on a petition seeking CBI probe into the recent seizure of Chinese crackers at a godown in Sivakasi.
The officials said they were doing only random checking and needed more equipments to check the import of crackers being done under the "false declaration".
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The court directed the Customs Commissioner to file an affidavit on the steps taken by them to check illegal import of Chinese crackers, cases filed by them and also their suggestions on checking.
The court gave 24 hours time to the customs officials to file the affidavit. If they are unable to file it Chief Customs Commissioner could be present at the court to give views and suggestions on the matter.
The Judges regretted that Sivakasi police did not do a proper job when they seized the crackers. "They should have properly interrogated the owner of the godown. If they had investigated him properly, the origin of the entry of crackers could have been cracked," the judges said.
The judges also asked the SP of Maheswaran, who was present in the court, as to why they had registered cases under bailable sections and asked details about the Explosives Act sections that could be used against those who stored Chinese crackers and sold them.
The judges pointed out to the cases filed in Mumbai and Delhi regarding seizure of the illegal Chinese crackers and asked the CBI to file a report regarding the cases filed about illegal import of Chinese crackers.
The PIL seeking a direction for a CBI probe into the recent seizure of banned Chinese crackers, worth several lakhs rupees, from a godown at the fireworks hub of Sivakasi near here on May 14 was filed by one Muthukrishnan.
He had also sought a direction to the Union Finance Secretary to order inspection of all ports across the country to seize illegally imported explosives.
