06-05-2025
Delivery Apps Under Fire: Shiv Sena UBT Flags Safety Concerns In Letter To Mumbai Police
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Citing incidents like sexual harassment, theft, impersonation and murder, Akhil Chitre has demanded urgent regulatory action to safeguard public safety.
In a strongly worded letter to the Mumbai Police Commissioner, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Akhil Chitre has raised alarm over the rising number of safety-related complaints linked to delivery personnel employed by online food aggregator platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, and Zepto. Citing incidents ranging from sexual harassment and theft to impersonation and even murder, Chitre has demanded urgent regulatory action to safeguard public safety and restore trust in these services.
Chitre, who heads the IT, Electronics, and Communication Wing of the party, in his letter to Mumbai Police, wrote that while such platforms provide convenience, they have also become breeding grounds for fraud and criminal activity. He called for mandatory registration of all delivery agents, strict identity and background checks, and clear accountability from the platforms employing them. 'If companies fail to comply, they must be held responsible for crimes committed by the delivery agents they have employed or hired," the letter emphasised.
Among the key recommendations are enforcing standard uniforms and visible ID cards to prevent impersonation, particularly by individuals who conceal their identity using helmets or masks. Chitre also highlighted the need for standardised training in traffic rules, emergency response, and customer etiquette. He called for a dedicated helpline to report safety concerns, especially for female customers, some of whom have reportedly received obscene messages from 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" Chitre warned in his letter.
The letter also accused aggregators of unethical practices, including accepting payments for orders from non-operational restaurants and then citing 'Restaurant Closed" while cancelling them. Delayed refunds — taking up to five days — were flagged as exploitative, particularly for low-income customers. Chitre criticised many customer service helplines of these aggregators, calling them non-responsive and linguistically exclusive, with no Marathi-language support available despite operating extensively in Maharashtra. He also raised concerns about the lack of transparency regarding food sources and hygiene standards and pointed out that company like Swiggy has no functional office or grievance redressal setup in the state, despite its large customer base in Maharashtra.
'The platform economy must not compromise public safety in the name of growth," Chitre concluded, urging the Mumbai Police to issue clear regulatory guidelines and take immediate steps to hold platforms accountable. The letter has reignited public discourse on the need to balance digital convenience with citizen safety —especially as urban India increasingly relies on doorstep delivery services.
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