We wanna stay

Customs and Central Excise officers in Mumbai are a worried lot these days. Most of them may have to leave the city if the Central Government formulates a policy wherein the Customs and Excise officers would have to be transferred out of a metro on completing eight years at a stretch here.
Mumbai has always been considered a plum posting, specially for Customs, as it is the hub of import and export business.And the thought of being transferred is worrying many officials.
"There are many officers who have been here for the last 15 to 16 years. They pull strings at a higher level, buy postings and manage to stick around for a longer period," says a senior Customs officer. This is just one of the reasons why the Customs Department is among the most corrupt departments and always remains prominent in the crosshairs of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the officer adds.
A peek into the records of some officers show that atleast three Customs and Excise Commissioners have remained in Mumbai for nine years or more at a stretch. Furthermore, there are about 7 to 8 Additional Joint Commissioners (in both the departments) who are here for over eight years. At the junior level, about 25 Deputy and Assistant Commissioners in Customs and Excise have -- over a period of time -- refused to move out of the city.
Meanwhile, Customs officers point out that the policy on transfers was to be framed last year itself, but a large number of officers protested and blocked its enforcement. "In fact, as per last year''s decision, the maximum tenure was to be fixed at 6 years. Had that happened, 50 per cent of the Customs and Excise officers would have had left the city by now," says another officer.