EXTRANCHECK: POST-SHIPMENT VERIFICATION: SASHASTRA SEEMA

UNCLAS NEW DELHI 006409 SIPDIS SIPDIS USDOC FOR 532/OEA/M. NICKSON-DORSEY/J. HATFIELD USDOC FOR 3131/USFCS/OIO/ANESA/KREISSL USDOC FOR 4530/MAC/ANESA/OSA ICE HQ FOR STRATEGIC INVESTIGATIONS STATE FOR EB/ESP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC ETRD BEXP IN SUBJECT: EXTRANCHECK: POST-SHIPMENT VERIFICATION: SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL, NEW DELHI, LICENSE NO. D340854 REF: USDOC 04234 ¶1. Unauthorized disclosure of the information provided below is prohibited by Section 12(c) of the Export Administration Act. ¶2. Export Control Officer (ECO) Michael Rufe and CS FSN Prem Narayan conducted a Post-shipment Verification (PSV) at Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB),New Delhi on September 8, 2006. ¶3. BIS requested a PSV on SSB, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI. SSB was listed as the Ultimate Consignee; Agmatel India (Agmatel) as Foreign Purchaser; and Tektronix India Pvt. Ltd. (Tektronix India),Bangalore as Intermediate Consignee for five Model TDS3052B Digital Phosphor Oscilloscopes (DPO) controlled under ECCN 3A292. As of August 30, 2005, BIS decontrolled NP2 controlled items for India including oscilloscopes. The license applicant was Tektronix Inc. (Tektronix),Beaverton, OR. ¶4. Rufe met for approximately 2 hours with R.S. Rawat (Rawat), Assistant Director (Telecom) and D.B. Thakur (Thakur),Deputy Field Officer, SSB. The appointment was facilitated by Viraj Singh, Deputy Secretary (AMS) to the GOI, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). SIPDIS Singh was also present at the meeting. ¶5. SSB officials were not aware of BIS export regulations. This was the first visit by USG/BIS officials to SSB. Per reftel, Tektronix submitted a Shippers' Export Declaration (SED) dated September 28, 2006, for three oscilloscopes. It was confirmed by SSB through documentary evidence that they purchased only three oscilloscopes. SSB dealt directly with Agmatel, Tektronix' representative in India, for this transaction. Neither Agmatel nor Tektronix provided the BIS export license conditions to SSB. ¶6. Agmatel is one of the approved vendors of the GOI Director General of Supplies & Disposals (DGS&D). DGS&D is the GOI's nodal agency for purchase, policy and procedure. It renders procurement services to the Central and state government agencies by placing Rate Contracts with various local/foreign vendors for common user items and contracts against their ad-hoc demands. It also acts as a quality assurance organization and inspects the equipment purchased through DGS&D upon arrival in India. SSB officials stated that Agmatel has a Rate Contract with DGS&D for the supply of oscilloscopes to Central and state government entities. SSB purchaed the oscilloscopes through DGS&D. ¶7. Rawat provided a copy of the SSB supply order against the DGS&D Rates/Contract, Agmatel Challan/delivery receipt for three Tektronix oscilloscopes, SSB Stock Register reflecting three oscilloscopes received from Agmatel and dispatch log reflecting three oscilloscopes sent to SSB's three sector offices which are in Ranikhet, Uttaranchal; Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh; and Barauni, Bihar. Also provided were Tektronix Export License Application information containing information about consignee/end-user, SSB Inspection Note and Form BIS-711. ¶8. Rawat stated that the oscilloscopes were purchased by the SSB Delhi office but none of the oscilloscopes were available in Delhi for inspection. The oscilloscopes were sent to SSB sector offices in Ranikhet, Bahraich and Barauni. Rawat confirmed the end-use of the oscilloscopes, to be used in the maintenance and repair of communications and electronic equipment used by SSB. Earlier, SSB used ordinary, locally made, oscilloscopes up to 60 MHz. He stated that the 500 MHz. bandwidth oscilloscopes are more sophisticated and required to repair modern communication equipment. The oscilloscopes are deployed in the sector offices to learn the defects of high frequency (HF) and very high frequency (VHF) radio and to ensure that the communication equipment meets the required parameters. SSB has recently purchased four new Tektronix 1 GHz. Bandwidth oscilloscopes for which SSB officials produced documentation. ¶9. SSB, established in 1963, is one of two border guarding forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Earlier SSB was an intelligence agency under the GOI Cabinet Secretariat. SSB is now responsible for guarding the Nepal and SIPDIS Bhutan borders. It's responsibilities include promoting a sense of security among the people living along the border areas, preventing trans-border crimes and unauthorized entries into or exit from the Indian territory and preventing smuggling and other illegal activities. SSB is headquartered in New Delhi with three sub-headquarters and 9 sector offices. SSB employs approximately 33,000 personnel. ¶10. Recommendation: SSB headquarters in New Delhi provided sufficient documentation to confirm the transaction, the ultimate disposition of the oscilloscopes and their end-use. As no on-site inspection was conducted of each oscilloscope, and such items have been decontrolled as of August 30, 2005, the Post-shipment Verification remains limited. (MRUFE) Mulford