A `Citizens' Charter' brought out by the Central Board of Excise and Customs recently states, ``Passengers can walk through Customs expecting courtesy, fairness and consideration.'' Besides, it says, international passengers' baggage would be opened only after the reasons had been explained and in their presence. Moreover, it adds, Customs personnel would help the passenger repack the baggage.

The charter, which delineates the Customs' duties towards general passengers and has already come into effect, promises the department will carry out its tasks with ``integrity and judiciousness, courtesy and understanding, objectivity and transparency and promptness and efficiency''. In return, it expects passengers to be ``honest and true'' in furnishing information and prompt in tax compliance.

On cargo, the charter says clearance will be withheld only after clients had been explained the reasons and given an opportunity to plead their case. Seized documents, it promises, will be returned within 60 days.

It goes on: excise registration formalities will be completed within 48 hours; MODVAT credit input duty documents returned within seven days; export consignments cleared at factory premises within eight hours of intimation; disputes on declarations and assessments settled within 10 working days of receiving an oral or written explanation.

The charter promises to release export consignments within eight hours of the filing an electronic declaration (or within 24 hours of filing a paper declaration) and import consignments within 24 hours of the filing an electronic declaration (or within 72 hours of filing a paper declaration).