India-Bhutan customs meet begins in Kerala's Munnar

Idukki (Kerala), Apr 20 (PTI) The seventh India–Bhutan JGC meeting commenced at Munnar here on Monday, officials said.

The two-day Joint Group of Customs (JGC) meeting assumes significance as the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi had recently busted a racket under ‘Operation Numkhor’, exposing the smuggling of high-end vehicles from Bhutan by flouting norms.

According to Customs officials, a 10-member delegation from Bhutan’s customs department has arrived in Munnar for the meeting.

A recent statement by Customs said the meeting is organised as part of an annual institutional mechanism for bilateral trade and customs consultations.

“The meeting will deliberate on key issues, including coordinated border management, pre-arrival exchange

of customs data, transit facilitation, and digitisation of processes such as ECTS. It will also review measures to enhance trade facilitation, improve border infrastructure, and streamline customs procedures,” the statement said.

The discussions reaffirm the shared commitment of both countries under the Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit to promote free and seamless cross-border trade, it said.

Customs sources added that findings from Operation Numkhor will be shared with the Bhutanese delegation.

In March this year, the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi, had arrested five persons from West Bengal and Assam in connection with the smuggling of high-end used cars from Bhutan.

Among those arrested was Dipak Patowary, the District Transport Officer (DTO) of Bongaigaon in Assam.

As part of the operation, Customs seized multiple high-end SUVs, including some allegedly linked to actors in Kerala. PTI TBA TBA KH