Hyderabad: Swiggy Instamart delivery agents, on Wednesday, October 7, staged a protest outside the dark store in Hastinapuram, Hyderabad, alleging they were forced to deliver expired products to customers.
They said that when questioned, their IDs were reportedly blocked.
Speaking to reporters, one of the delivery agents said customers would vent their anger at them when they received expired products.
“There have been instances where our riders were beaten up. When we come back and inform the management, they talk recklessly, saying, ‘We will continue to do so; take it and deliver if you want, or else leave it, we don’t care.'”
“We are the ones standing right in front of them (customers), while the person taking complaints is sitting somewhere else. Any refund or resolution raised through the support team takes 24 hours. Meanwhile, when we face the customer at their doorstep, they insist, ‘You are standing right here, so give us a resolution/refund immediately, or we won’t let you leave,'” the delivery agent added.
Later, a food safety official told reporters that 14 expired items, including ginger-garlic paste, mango fruit drink, strawberry juice, chikki, wheat flour, barbecue sauce, cookies, paneer and milk packets, were found during their inspection.
TGPWU demands action
Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU) founder Shaik Salauddin has demanded a fair and immediate investigation into these allegations. He said the workers have filed a complaint at LB Nagar Police Station.
“Delivery workers are not merely delivery agents. They are also the eyes and ears on the ground for consumer safety. If a worker identifies an expired product, the priority must be to remove the unsafe product and investigate the violation—not punish the worker who raised the alarm.” Salauddin said.
TGPWU called upon on TGSAFE to conduct an immediate statewide special inspection drive covering major quick-commerce and grocery operators, including BigBasket, Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, JioMart, Amazon Fresh/Amazon Now, along with supermarkets, warehouses and dark stores.
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Saleha Fatima | | 
