'Building in India is an absolute pain': Founder flags Nvidia Jetson import delay at customs; shipment later cleared

Ramakrishna Kompella, a Hyderabad-based startup founder, said building in India is an "absolute pain" after alleging that Nvidia Jetson AI modules imported for research and development were held up at customs for two weeks.

The shipment was later cleared after his post on X drew a response from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

Kompella, who says he is building startup Godel Machines, wrote on Saturday that customs had sought three certificates — EPR, WPC and BIS — for the imported Nvidia Jetsons, even though he claimed the requirements did not apply to products being brought in for prototyping and internal R&D.

He said the two Nvidia Jetson AI modules had remained at customs for two weeks because officials repeatedly asked for certificates that, according to him, were either exempt or had already been complied with.

The founder said Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) norms apply to producers and sellers and are exempt for internal use. Under Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) rules, he said only a self-declaration was required for devices operating in unlicensed bands for internal use. He also claimed the Nvidia Jetsons were already registered with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

According to Kompella, his startup submitted multiple responses but received the same reply each time.

"We've filed a dozen responses; we got rejected with no explanation. Just a one-liner: customs has rejected your letter, please furnish EPR, WPC, BIS. Or meet the officer directly."

He added that he would have visited the customs officer at the port of entry had he not been travelling frequently, writing: "Building in India is an absolute pain."

CBIC RESPONDS

The CBIC responded to the post by seeking shipment details before later informing Kompella that the customs process had been completed. "Dear Kompella, your Bill of Entry has been cleared by Customs. It is pending for duty payment at your end. Kindly do the needful so that the Out of Charge can be granted."

CONSIGNMENT RELEASED

Kompella later confirmed that the shipment had been released. "Guys update: the consignment got cleared. Thanks a lot for all the help, concern, and most importantly reach."

Reacting to Kompella's post, Capitalmind founder and CEO Deepak Shenoy said the incident highlighted the need for customs reforms.

"If we don't fix our customs processes we won't get much ahead. I don't know if it will help, but bringing to the attention of @FinMinIndia and @CimGOI."