Delhi Police on Wednesday sought to assure e-commerce website that their concerns over disruption in deliveries due to the countrywide lockdown to check the spread of the coronavirus pandemic will be addressed.
In a meeting held between the representatives and Delhi Police’s additional commissioner Mandeep Randhawa, the officer assured the e-commerce companies that their persons would be given curfew passes to cross inter-state borders and also move within the city to facilitate the home delivery process of essential items.
On Monday, the Delhi Police had announced that those involved in essential goods and services will need to get a curfew pass to move about.
Randhawa said that companies have also been assured that the police personnel on duty across the city will help the companies open their warehouses and ensure that they face no problem.
“The work has already started. Curfew passes will be issued at the earliest. Home delivery of essential services will not be affected. We are working with the companies to ensure that neither their delivery persons nor the citizens face any inconvenience,” the officer said.
Grofers, an online grocery service operating across India, said that their services were shut down because their warehouses were getting closed and delivery agents were not being allowed in many parts of the city. They have, however, now sought help from the police, which has assured them that deliveries of essential items will not be affected.
“We will start accepting orders and delivering essential groceries at the earliest. Local authorities are helping us in restarting our operations. We did face some problems over the last few days but we will be on track now,” a Grofers spokesperson said on Wednesday.
During the hour-long meeting on Wednesday, police and e-commerce representatives discussed how each company will ensure high level of hygiene standards for all its employees. “Home delivery of essential items is important. We encourage citizens not to step out of their homes. The essential items will be delivered at their door step. There is no need to panic. If people face any problems during this lockdown, police is there to help them,” Randhawa said.
Delhi Police has also started talks with different Resident Welfare Associations across the city asking them to allow the delivery persons to drop essential items. The e-commerce company representatives told police that at many colonies, their delivery persons were stopped by the security guards and their entry was banned.
The 21-day lockdown has sparked panic buying of groceries in many places while many others banked on e-commerce sites.
On Wednesday, Flipkart announced temporary suspension of services. It said it will not take or deliver any orders until further notice hours after Prime Minister announced the three-week lockdown Tuesday night. Flipkart’s major rival, Amazon India did not stop its services its services but restricted it to essential goods. The e-commerce platform will deliver products that fall under categories such as household staples, packaged food, health care, hygiene, personal safety. For others whose orders were pending, Amazon India said it will offer a refund.