The Customs Department has suspended the Customs Cargo Service Provider (CCSP) approval granted to the rail-linked Container Freight Station (CFS) operated by state-owned Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) at Dronagiri near Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JN Port), citing serious security lapses and incidents of theft and pilferage of export cargo.
The suspension, which takes immediate effect, is expected to further strain the logistics ecosystem supporting India’s largest container gateway, as the Dronagiri Rail Terminal (DRT) handles approximately 14,000 TEUs every month.
In a public notice dated 22 July, the Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (JNCH) stated that all Customs Cargo Service Providers had earlier been directed through a 25 June advisory to strengthen security measures and ensure strict compliance with the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009 (HCCAR, 2009).
“Despite the aforesaid advisory, serious security deficiencies and theft/pilferage of export cargo were subsequently detected at CONCOR DRT CFS, indicating failure to implement the prescribed safeguards,” the notice said.
Invoking Regulation 11(2) of HCCAR, 2009, Customs suspended the approval granted to CONCOR’s Dronagiri CFS “with immediate effect until further orders.”
Existing Cargo to Be Cleared; Fresh Cargo Halted
According to the notification, cargo already present within the CONCOR DRT CFS premises as of 22 July will be allowed to be cleared for import or export after completing the prescribed Customs procedures.
However, fresh receipts of export and import cargo into the facility have been stopped immediately, except in cases where:
An Import General Manifest (IGM) or Sea Arrival Manifest (SAM) had already been filed by the shipping line; or
A Shipping Bill or Bill of Entry had been filed before 00:00 hrs on 23 July, designating CONCOR DRT CFS as the destination.
Second Major CFS Suspension in Two Months
The latest action comes barely two months after Customs suspended the licence of International Cargo Terminal Pvt. Ltd., following a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) investigation that uncovered two import containers carrying Chinese-origin fireworks and firecrackers, a restricted item, falsely declared as Gypsum Plaster and CMS Granules.
The International Cargo Terminal has a handling capacity of around 15,000 TEUs per month.
With both facilities now under suspension, the JN Port region has effectively lost nearly 30,000 TEUs of monthly CFS handling capacity, adding further pressure to an already stressed logistics network.
Impact on JN Port Operations
Industry observers believe the suspension could exacerbate container evacuation challenges at JN Port, which has been facing operational pressures following disruptions to global shipping schedules caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
CONCOR’s Dronagiri Rail Terminal is a key multimodal logistics hub spread across 59 acres, equipped with three rail lines and handling approximately 90–100 container rakes every month.
The facility also offers:
35,640 sq. metres of export-import warehousing;
4,200 sq. metres of domestic warehousing; and
2,000 sq. metres of bonded warehouse space.
CONCOR, India’s largest rail container operator, had not issued an official response to the suspension at the time of publication.
