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In a significant enforcement action aimed at strengthening cargo security and safeguarding the integrity of India's export-import supply chain, the Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (JNCH) has suspended the approval of Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) Dronagiri Rail Terminal Container Freight Station (DRT CFS) as a Customs Cargo Service Provider (CCSP) with immediate effect.
Customs authorities said the decision follows the detection of serious security deficiencies and incidents of theft and pilferage of export cargo despite earlier directions to strengthen compliance with cargo handling regulations.
The suspension has been ordered under Regulation 11(2) of the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations (HCCAR), 2009. The affected facility, CONCOR DRT CFS, is a Government of India undertaking under the ministry of railways and is located at Dronagiri Rail Terminal, Dronagiri Node, JNPT Road, Navi Mumbai. Its approval as a Customs Cargo Service Provider had earlier been renewed under Regulation 10 of the HCCAR, 2009 through Public Notice No. 61/2025 dated August 21, 2025.
According to the Customs Commissionerate, an advisory issued on June 25, 2026 had directed all Customs Cargo Service Providers to strengthen security measures and ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the HCCAR, 2009. However, subsequent inspections reportedly revealed serious security shortcomings at the CONCOR DRT CFS, including cases of theft and pilferage of export cargo, indicating that the prescribed safeguards had not been effectively implemented.
The suspension is intended to reinforce regulatory compliance, enhance cargo security and protect the integrity of customs-controlled logistics infrastructure. Customs authorities have emphasized that the action reflects a strict enforcement approach towards facilities that fail to comply with mandatory security and operational standards governing cargo handling in customs areas.
To minimise disruption to trade and avoid hardship for importers and exporters, the Customs department has simultaneously issued operational guidelines governing cargo already at the facility and future cargo movement. Cargo that was already present within the premises of the Container Freight Station on the date of the suspension order will be allowed to be cleared for export or import, as applicable, after completion of the prescribed customs procedures by the proper officer.
The Commissionerate has, however, stopped the receipt of fresh export and import cargo at the facility with immediate effect. An exception has been provided for consignments where an Import General Manifest (IGM) or Sea Arrival Manifest (SAM) had already been filed by the shipping line, as well as cases where the shipping bill or bill of entry had been filed before 12:00 a.m. on July 23, 2026, designating CONCOR DRT CFS as the destination.
Commissioner of Customs (NS-General), JNCH, Unmesh Sharad Wagh, said that the approval granted to CONCOR DRT CFS as a Customs Cargo Service Provider has been suspended with immediate effect under Regulation 11(2) of the HCCAR, 2009 until further orders following the detection of serious security deficiencies and theft and pilferage of export cargo despite earlier advisories directing strengthened security measures and compliance with the regulations.
The Customs department said the operational guidelines have been issued to ensure continuity of legitimate trade while maintaining regulatory oversight during the suspension period, balancing enforcement objectives with the need to minimise inconvenience to importers and exporters.
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