Hyderabad: A new problem of prejudice seems to be creeping up amongst delivery partners, more with Swiggy in the city off-late. On a handful of occasions recently, Swiggy Genie partners have refused to comply and pick up parcels containing non-vegetarian food.
Customers in Hyderabadwho use the service were not only shocked, but were also surprised that Swiggy delivery partners even asked them what their package contained before rejecting to drop it. A few of them Siasat.com spoke to said that one on occasion the Swiggy delivery partner specifically said he would not touch anything that has meat in it and left, and even refused to cancel the order from his end.
“I was sending some food for a family member and after the Swiggy delivery partner arrived, he asked what the parcel contained. I nonchalantly mentioned it was chicken and rice, but to my shock the delivery guy refused to touch the parcel. I had to wait a while before the next person arrived,” said a lady from Secunderabad who faced this issue.
On another occasion earlier this year in Hyderabad, Saima (name changed), faced this problem when the Swiggy Genie partner refused to accept her parcel of Biryani that she was sending for her friends. “I faced this issue twice on Eid, when one guy asked what the parcel had. When I told him it was Eid food, he said he is vegetarian and would not do the delivery. Another guy just cancelled it,” she told Siasat.com.
However, it may be noted that this issue seems to be only with Swiggy mostly as of now in Hyderabad. Only one other person said he faces particularly while ordering beef or pork, which is understandable, given that Muslims would be averse to carrying pork, and the same with Hindus for beef.
However, the rejection of non-veg food (chicken and mutton, which are more commonly consumed) parcels is more or less part of the prejudice that meat-eaters often face from vegetarians. A response from Swiggy is awaited, as Siasat.com has reached out to the company for a response over the issue being faced in Hyderabad.
While delivery partners usually do not ask what the parcels contain, Shaik Salauddin, who heads the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) said that they have been creating awareness in Hyderabad to ask customers what is in parcels before delivery, and also to ensure transparent covers.
“It could be that due to Kartika Masam or maybe if partners on specific days to not eat meat, they may be rejecting it due to that as well. So I am not sure, as we were not aware of this. We were insisting on ensuring transparent covers to ensure that drugs are not transported,” Salauddin told Siasat.com.
