Wheels that keep food supply chain rolling

By Times of India – Wheels that keep food supply chain rolling Gurgaon: Mohit Soni’s phone is forever buzzing. “There is hardly any dearth of online food-delivery orders in Gurgaon,” reveals this Swiggy delivery agent. “Some people don’t even have a gas stove in their apartments, they are always ordering food online!” Hailing from Panipat, the 22-year-old has been working part-time for Swiggy since January. The rest of his time he would devote to a call-centre job, to make ends meet. At least until last month. However, after the lockdown was announced, the call centre refused to remunerate for non-working days. Now, Mohit and his companions struggle to pay the rent. “Our landlords and employers say it’s not a rule but only a suggestion from the government, to not take rent or cut salary. But, there is a hard-and-fast rule there,” Mohit insists. “Some of my friends have no money to pay the rent, or even to eat two meals a day.” Which is why he’s grateful to Swiggy for paying him every week. And if he ever thought of heading home, his family was on hand to convince Mohit otherwise. “They have been watching the news regularly, and in fact they are the ones who advise us not to return to our hometowns,” he shared. “There have been cases spreading in our town, too, because some people went back and the disease spread.” Mohit’s day begins at 11am. “We have to wear masks and gloves and send a selfie to the Swiggy app — that’s when our duty starts,” he explains. “And, before we enter a restaurant or a house, we always sanitise our hands, though most of the customers prefer contactless delivery.” As for run-ins with police, such incidents, feels Mohit, have become an occupational hazard. This, even after all the necessary permissions and documents have been shown. “Some of the policemen do not have enough information on what is and what’s not allowed during the lockdown. But, in case they turn violent, we can always use the app to reach our senior, who sorts out the matter,” informs Mohit. There are some areas, like Kapashera and towards the Delhi border, which are out of bounds for delivery personnel. So, if an order is placed from any of these neighbourhoods, the customer is called to collect it at a common meeting point. Yet, Mohit doesn’t sense any apprehension among the many availing of an essential service. “People are more than grateful; they respect us for serving them during these testing times while risking our own lives,” he says. DownloadThe Times of India News App for Latest City NewsSubscribeStart Your Daily Mornings with Times of India Newspaper! Order Now

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