About PCHAA

The 1990s saw Pune customs take a huge leap in the direction of progress with the appointment of the Custom House Agents (CHA), now known as Custom Brokers. This was a consequence of Pune getting its first Custom freight Station in Pimpri in 1990. With the appointment of the CHAs arose the requirement for the setting up of an association. It was in 2002 when a group of CHAs dedicated to this cause registered the Pune Custom House Agents Association under the ambit of Custom House Agents Licensing Regulations, 1984. Finally, in 2004, the Commissioner of Customs, Pune recognized the Pune Custom House Agents Association (PCHAA) as a legit association.

Before we move on to the current scenario of this association, we must take a look at the history of the CHAs in Pune. Pune saw its first legally appointed CHAs in 1990 per the regulations made under sub-section (2) of Section 146 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), [Section 65(35)]. These CHAs by dint of their perseverance and persuasion skills achieved their first transaction in December of 1990. This transaction was an export made by Trinity Engineers Pvt. Ltd. The CHA who accomplished this task was S.Y.Ranade & Co. through CFS Pimpri. The following transactions were the first imports made by Finolex Cables Ltd. CHA Samson Freight Pvt. Ltd. was responsible for this transaction in March 1991.



The economy in the 1990s was progressive that contributed a great deal to the development of the CHAs individually and the PCHAA as a whole. Within eight years of their appointment, the CHA fraternity in Pune saw the rise of more than forty custom brokers. It was this development that stoked the need for an association. The CHAs who pioneered the development of this association were Shri R. Bhargava, Shri S. P. Kulkarni, and Shri Vinod Sharma. Finally, the PCHAA came to fruition in 2004. Shri R. Bhargava was the first President of this Association. Currently, the Pune Custom House Agents Association is spearheaded by Shri Pradeep Kale who was elected President in the 15th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the PCHAA on August 31, 2018.

Since 2004, the Pune Custom House Agents Association has not looked back. The PCHAA has been working relentlessly for the improvement and burgeoning of the customs broker fraternity. It has also been working to ensure that the customs brokers in Pune get the exposure and the knowledge they require to proliferate their business. It has also been working to provide training and necessary help to the CHAs. To that end, the PCHAA has been organizing workshops for its CHAs. The PCHAA has also been acting as a platform for the customs brokers to voice their grievances and pleas for assistance.

The PCHAA also acts as an arbitrator in settling disputes amongst the members of the association, or between them and their clients. But, the PCHAA does not just mollycoddle its members. It also sets high standards of ethics and professionalism that its members have to comply with. The association also ensures smooth cooperation between its members and any agency that they are working in compliance with. As far as representation is concerned, the PCHAA is at the top of the game. It has representatives at the local level with the Customs Commissioner. The PCHAA also has representations at the national and international level as it is a member of the apex body of Customs Brokers i.e. Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India. The FFFAI, in turn, has its representations at Federation of International Freight Forwarders Associations headquarters in Zurich. As a result of this, the PCHAA has been able to ensure trouble-free trade for its members at all levels.

But, PCHAA does not just take from the community for its members. It is aware of its social responsibility and has been associated with the charity commission. It has also undertaken several projects to help the community. Therefore, the PCHAA has been true to its motto of "Together We Grow" and has been relentlessly striving for the holistic development of the association, its members and the community.