Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Akhil Chitre, in a letter to the Mumbai Police, has raised concerns over the rising number of safety issues and complaints related to delivery personnel employed by online food delivery and quick commerce platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, and Zepto, reported News18.
Chitre, in his letter, cited multiple incidents of sexual harassment, theft, impersonation, and even murder, and demanded immediate regulatory action to ensure public safety.
“If companies fail to comply, they must be held responsible for crimes committed by the delivery agents they have employed or hired,” said the political leader in his letter cited by the news portal.
Akhil Chitre leads the IT, Electronics, and Communication Wing of the Shiv Sena (UBT). He also reportedly mentioned that these quick commerce and food delivery platforms provide convenience. However, they are also responsible for many fraud and criminal activities.
Chitre called for a mandate which makes all delivery agents register themselves, with strict background checks and clear accountability from the platforms which employ them.
What are the recommendations?
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also recommended enforcing standard uniforms and visible identification cards to prevent impersonation using a helmet or mask to ensure the safety of the people, according to the news portal’s report.
He also said that standardised training in traffic rules and emergency response, along with customer etiquette training, is needed. In his letter, Chitre asked for a dedicated helpline number to report safety concerns, especially for female customers, some of whom have reported inappropriate behaviour from the delivery personnel.
“We cannot ignore these growing threats to public safety, if this doesn’t get stopped now, it may lead to bigger crime further,” said Chitre in his letter, according to the report.
Unethical Practices
In the letter, the politician also pointed out the unethical practices carried out by companies and restaurants which accept payment from non-operational restaurants, and are responsible for refund processing delays, etc.
Akhil Chitre also highlighted the lack of transparency regarding food sources and overall hygiene standards. He also emphasised that companies like Swiggy have no functional office or grievance redressal setup in Maharashtra despite having a huge customer base.
“The platform economy must not compromise public safety in the name of growth,” he said, urging the Mumbai Police to take action and issue clear guidelines to hold the platforms accountable, as per the news portal’s report.
