Air customs opened a passenger help desk at the arrival section of the international terminal at Chennai airport on Tuesday.

The desk will help arriving passengers to clear their doubts before proceeding to the customs check. It will be manned by customs officials trained in soft skills.

"We have arranged soft skills training for customs personnel so that they will be able to talk to passengers in a polite and courteous manner at the airport. Customs is going to give a lot of importance to such help desks all over India as it will help passengers abide by rules and regulations," said S Ramesh, chief commissioner, customs, who inaugurated the help desk at the airport. Officials are being trained in five batches.

The help desk has been set up based on feedback from passengers. Another help desk would be set up at the departure terminal soon, which would help passengers know about the rules to be followed while returning after a trip abroad, he added.

Air customs have also brought out a booklet -- Guide Book for Travellers -- containing baggage rules, duty free allowances for Indians and foreigners residing in India, special allowances for professionals returning to India, duty free allowances for tourists, prohibited and restricted goods, penal provisions and rules passengers should know.

The booklet will be given free of cost for arriving passengers at the international terminal.