Raghav Chadha has used Parliament to put India’s quick‑commerce boom in the dock, arguing that 10‑minute delivery is built on unsafe and undignified work conditions for lakhs of gig workers—not on tech efficiency alone.
What Raghav Chadha told Parliament
Speaking during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the AAP MP urged the government to “end the tyranny of 10 minutes” by banning ultra‑fast deliveries offered by quick‑commerce players like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and others. His key points:
- Cruel time pressure: Riders are pushed to deliver in 10–15 minutes, which he called “cruelty” because it forces them to overspeed, jump red lights and weave through traffic to avoid penalties, app logout or ID blocking.
- Customer harassment: Even delays of 5–7 minutes can trigger threats, scolding and one‑star ratings, hurting an entire month’s income because payouts and incentives are linked to ratings.
- Hazardous work conditions: Workers routinely do 12–14 hour shifts in extreme heat, rain and pollution, often without helmets, rain gear, hazard allowance, health cover or accident insurance.
Raghav Chadha reminded MPs that delivery partners are “not robots, but someone’s father, husband, brother or son,” and said that while quick‑commerce firms enjoy billion‑dollar valuations, gig workers’ condition is “worse than that of daily wage labourers.”
He tied his appeal to the Centre’s new gig‑worker welfare framework, under which platforms must contribute 1–2% of annual turnover (capped at 5% of total gig payouts) to a social security fund for PF‑like benefits and insurance. He argued that banning ultra‑fast delivery promises should be part of that broader reform.
Real‑world incidents that back his concerns
A growing body of reporting and research supports Chadha’s claims about safety, stress and exploitation in quick commerce.
1. Accidents linked to 10‑minute delivery
- Bengaluru police have explicitly flagged 10‑minute services as a road‑safety problem, noting that riders frequently overspeed, jump signals and even ride on footpaths to beat timers. Traffic officials say delivery workers “go against the speed limit” due to app and customer pressure, and have launched training programmes to curb accidents.
- Reported cases in Bengaluru include multiple fatal crashes involving food and quick‑commerce riders rushing in rain or at night to meet aggressive timelines.
- A widely shared LinkedIn analysis estimated “20 deaths an hour” on Indian roads and warned that 10‑minute deliveries are worsening an already dire safety crisis for two‑wheeler riders.
2. Worker testimonies from Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto
- A former Blinkit part‑time worker described the “scary reality” of 10‑minute deliveries, saying “accidents are common” and that riders constantly race clocks because late orders hurt ratings and earnings.
- Another ex‑Blinkit employee recounted that store staff push riders to take multiple orders at once and cut payouts if promised times are missed, amplifying stress and corner‑cutting on safety.
- A detailed feature from The Print documented riders rushing through rain and traffic, suffering injuries, and still being poorly rated for minor delays; it cited fatal crashes in 2024 involving delivery workers in Bengaluru and highlighted police worries about the 10‑minute model.
3. Violence, lack of facilities and algorithmic penalties
- A survey of Delhi quick‑commerce dark stores found many lacked basic toilets, drinking water or rest areas, with Instamart and Blinkit locations among the worst performers. At one Blinkit store, a rider was killed by a car while parked roadside at night; others reported being robbed, assaulted or harassed with little support from companies.
- The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has tracked multiple cases of gig‑worker assault and death—Uber, Swiggy and Flipkart riders being stabbed, mauled by dogs or attacked by customers—arguing that platforms often deny responsibility and make few systemic changes.
- MediaNama’s review of gig‑worker protests notes that Blinkit deactivated over 150 riders in Varanasi after a strike, while Zepto has faced allegations of “digital bonded labour,” arbitrary deductions and misleading earnings claims—illustrating how algorithms and penalties deepen precarity.
These accounts echo the three themes Chadha raised: unsafe speeds, customer abuse and structurally harsh working conditions.
Policy context: what may happen next
Chadha’s speech lands in a moment when:
- The Centre is rolling out welfare funds, PF‑like schemes and mandatory insurance for gig workers, funded by platform contributions.
- States like Rajasthan and Karnataka have already passed gig‑worker protection laws, and civil‑society groups are demanding national standards on pay floors, maximum hours and safety gear.
- Police and road‑safety experts are publicly questioning hard‑coded 10‑ or 15‑minute promises, suggesting that “estimated windows” without gamified timers would be safer.
A full legal ban on 10‑minute deliveries may be politically difficult, but Chadha’s intervention increases pressure on the government and regulators to at least:
- Curb marketing of ultra‑fast guarantees that incentivise reckless driving.
- Mandate transparent safety protocols, helmets and gear, and genuine accident insurance.
- Regulate algorithmic penalties and ensure riders are not deactivated or impoverished for refusing unsafe speeds.
In that sense, his speech is less just a rhetorical attack on Blinkit/Zepto/Instamart and more a signal that India’s quick‑commerce business model will increasingly be judged not only on convenience and GMV, but on how it treats the people racing through traffic to make it work.
