A Hyderabad-based startup founder has sparked a discussion on India's import processes after claiming that two Nvidia Jetson AI modules meant for research and development remained stuck at customs for two weeks despite being exempt from several certification requirements.
The issue was later resolved after the founder's post on X gained traction and drew a response from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
Ramakrishna Kompella, founder of AI startup Godel Machines, said the delay made "building in India an absolute pain," alleging that customs repeatedly sought certificates that were either not applicable or had already been complied with.
Founder Says Multiple Responses Were Rejected
According to Kompella, customs officials asked for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC), and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) documents before clearing the shipment.
He argued that the imported Nvidia Jetson AI modules were intended solely for prototyping and internal research and development.
Kompella said EPR requirements apply to producers and sellers, not products imported for internal use. He also claimed that devices operating in unlicensed wireless bands only require a self-declaration under WPC rules, while the Nvidia Jetson modules were already registered with the BIS.
Despite submitting several responses, he said the authorities continued to reject them without providing detailed explanations.
"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, and BIS. Or meet the officer directly," Kompella wrote on X.
He added that he would have met the customs officer in person had he not been travelling frequently, saying, "Building in India is an absolute pain."
I was gonna be quiet but seeing this I felt like I shouldn't. I run a bootstrapped startup and we imported two Nvidia Jetsons. It's been held up at customs for two weeks now. Reason? They want us to give them three certificates: EPR, WPC, and BIS. The thing is, it doesn't apply… https://t.co/rbSCNUMUgS
— Ramakrishna kompella (@jojokompella) August 1, 2026
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CBIC Steps In After Viral Post
Following the social media post, the CBIC responded publicly and asked Kompella to share shipment details.
The tax authority later confirmed that customs clearance had been completed and informed him that the consignment was awaiting duty payment before the final "Out of Charge" approval.
"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," CBIC said.
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," he wrote.
Call For Customs Reforms
The incident also prompted reactions from members of India's startup ecosystem.
Capitalmind founder and CEO Deepak Shenoy said the episode highlighted the need to simplify customs procedures for technology companies importing equipment for innovation and product development.
"If we don't fix our customs processes we won't get much ahead," Shenoy wrote, while tagging the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Photo Credit: X.com
The episode has reignited debate over the ease of importing specialised hardware for startups, particularly AI developers that rely on advanced computing modules such as Nvidia's Jetson platform for prototyping and building machine learning applications.
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