Police stop delivery executives, essential service personnel in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The efforts of the City Police to go for stricter implementation of the lockdown met with some criticism on Saturday, with many questioning why food delivery executives were beaten with lathis and detained or their vehicles seized in many places across the city. According to reports, delivery executives from Zomato and Swiggy, Uber Eats, […]

Hyderabad: The efforts of the City Police to go for stricter implementation of the lockdown met with some criticism on Saturday, with many questioning why food delivery executives were beaten with lathis and detained or their vehicles seized in many places across the city. According to reports, delivery executives from Zomato and Swiggy, Uber Eats, Dunzo apart from other e-commerce services were allegedly stopped and detained at Mehdipatnam, Asifnagar, Nampally, MJ Market, Charminar, Kukatpally among other places in the city, with many saying their vehicles were seized with cops allegedly saying they could not be considered essential services.

The action came in the wake of City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar warning on Friday that from Saturday, the police would act stricter against those venturing out on the road unnecessarily. Huge police deployment was seen at police check-posts and there was a crackdown on lockdown violators across the city with each vehicle being scrutinised post 10 am. And from May 12, for the first time, the police were seen using lathis, except that this was on food delivery and e-commerce executives, though they have been allowed to operate as per GO Ms 102 issued by the State government. Home food delivery services like Swiggy and Zomato were affected as a result with the services being called off in many parts of the city after the police crackdown.

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“We were allowed to deliver food until now, but today suddenly they are stopping us and seizing our vehicles. If the police had indicated, we would not have come out on roads,” said Venkatesham from Swiggy. Meanwhile, City Police officials claimed that there was no such restriction on food delivery services. “We are not stopping any genuine food delivery executive. Unabated movement of delivery boys is being curtailed for frequent violations. We are just detaining those who are just loitering on the roads without any order and passing time,” said DS Chauhan, Additional Commissioner (Law and Order), Hyderabad.

“Food delivery executives will be scrutinised and after confirming details of the order timing and delivery address, they will be allowed. Without any order, they should not come out on roads,” Chauhan said. AIMIM Hyderabad MP Asaddudin Owasi took to Twitter and asked the government to issue a fresh GO if it had decided not to allow food delivery services. “Till such an amendment is made, food delivery personnel should not be stopped,” Owaisi said on Twitter, adding that when the GO clearly stated that food delivery was permitted, why they were detained.

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