The decision by e-commerce companies such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy’s Instamart to remove 10-minute delivery promises from their platforms after they were asked by the Union government to avoid such commitments has come as a big thumbs up for Kerala as the state was the first to ask app delivery companies to drop the time limit. In a notification issued by the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department on 23 December 2025, online delivery app companies in Kerala have been directed to follow road safety rules and incorporate them into their corporate policies.
According to Transport Commissioner CH Nagaraju, notices have been issued to the delivery agents of Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto, Bigbasket etc following the rise in traffic offenses by the deliverymen of these firms in the state.
Online platforms have also been given 15 days to streamline and harmonize road safety policies or face criminal action. The notices were issued to dark shops and express delivery platforms after the MVD noticed an increase in rash and careless driving by the two-wheeler deliverymen of these companies. Speeding, rashness and failure to use protective equipment were some of the most frequently cited safety issues.
Concert staff went on strike on 31 December, demanding the scrapping of promises of 7 or 10 minute deliveries. This eventually led to the latest directive from the union labor department to abandon on-time delivery. Following the intervention of Union Minister for Labor and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya in the context of nationwide strikes by concert staff unions demanding the abolition of 10-minute delivery options and the reinstatement of earlier payment structures, the quick commerce platforms agreed to remove the 10-minute delivery service.
Published – 14 Jan 2026 21:21 IST
