Int’l Customs Day is celebrated

MUMBAI — Mumbai Customs celebrated International Customs Day with great zeal and enthusiasm on January 27 at Y B Chavan Centre, Nariman Point, Mumbai.

Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra, was the chief guest. Maharashtra Minister for Housing Prakash Mehta, Flag officer Commanding in chief Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Girish Luthra and Zia Mody, Founder & managing partner ABZ & Partners, were among other prominent guests.

Senior officers of the department Rajeev Tandon, Chief Commissioner of Customs Zone-I, Vivek Johri, Chief Commissioner of Customs, zone-II and Amrit Pal Suri, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai Zone-III were also present on the dais along with the guests.

This year, the World Customs Organization (WCO) theme was ‘Security of the Business Environment’. Tandon welcomed the guests and gave an introductory speech on the theme on which Luthra and Mody also spoke.

The Governor lauded the Customs department for its role in preventing smuggling, contraband goods and fake currency entering the country. He also hailed the department in generating revenue, in nation building and making Indian economy safe and secure, laying stress on improving infrastructure and simplification of procedure by the customs department.

Serving and retired officers and staff were facilitated by the Governor. Bharat Gade, Superintendent of Customs, New Custom House, Mumbai who has been conferred the President’s award for 2018 for his outstanding contribution to the Customs department was felicitated by the Governor. Mumbai Customs’ coffee table book was also released by the Governor.

A cultural programme was organised in the evening at Shanmukhanand Hall, Sion, Mumbai where several prominent personalities, including Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Karan Johar, Ranveer Kapoor, Ritesh Deshmukh, Alia Bhatt, Anushaka Sharma, Sushmita Sen, Annu Malik, Annu Kapoor, Bappi Lahari, were present and they enthralled the crowd. A ‘GST’ song was sung by Amruta Devendra Fadnavis, and the music CD for the same was inaugurated by Amruta Fadnavis, along with Shri Rajeev Tandon, Chief Commissioner of Customs Zone-I, Mumbai, Shri Vivek Johri, Chief Commissioner of Customs, zone-II, Mumbai and Shri Amrit Pal Suri, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Zone-III , Mumbai on the occasion.