Punjab Police to ensure delivery of essentials at doorstep

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 25

Amid tighter restrictions and controls as part of the anti-COVID curfew/lockdown in place, Punjab Police on Wednesday went into mission mode to launch innovative and indigenous initiatives across districts to facilitate the door-to-door supply of essential goods through strategic tie-ups with Zomato, Swiggy, Verka, Amul, Mandi Pradhans, Chemist Associations, etc.

As a result of the initiatives taken by the district police, the door-to-door supply of essential goods like medicine, grocery and eatables had started in many districts in the state, while similar delivery mechanisms were being worked out in others too.

Passes were being issued to authorised vendors for the supply of essential goods, according to DGP Dinkar Gupta, adding that for home delivery of medicine, in particular, necessary tie-ups are being made with the respective chemist associations, so that orders can be taken on phone and home delivery is accordingly undertaken.

The violations of curfew were reported from Ludhiana City, Ludhiana Rural, Khanna, Ropar, Sangrur, Patiala, Jalandhar City, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Mansa and Ferozepur.

The DGP had issued certain directives to the top officials soon after the announcement of the curfew by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and the nationwide lockdown by the Prime Minister.

He had asked them to make suitable arrangements for door-to-door delivery of essential goods and services and to ensure smooth functioning of delivery boys, rehris, small motorized vehicles, etc.

In Amritsar and Ludhiana cities, 650 people had been engaged from Swiggy for home delivery of the essential goods, while in Patiala district, home delivery of essential commodities was being ensured in coordination with the delivery boys from Zomato and Swiggy.

As many as 100 trolleys containing essential commodities were dispatched across Sangrur district on Thursday by engaging the services of local volunteers, said the DGP, adding that in Tarn Taran district, milk-producing entities like Verka and Amul have been roped in for ensuring decentralised distribution of milk following proper social distancing measures.

Officers of milk plant, Verka, have been liaised with, and they have assured that their 700 vendors will undertake door-to-door supply of milk in Amritsar City too, with the Commissionerate Amritsar directed to issue the necessary passes, said Gupta.

All efforts were being made to resolve these concerns at the earliest, assured the DGP, adding that the police officials themselves had suggested various means to address these issues in their respective districts.