Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Mar 31: Several districts across the state have started home delivery services for residents who have been restricted to their homes due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Anjaw district, the administration has started a ‘market on wheels’, which delivers grocery and other household items to the residents of Hayuliang town, Swamy Camp, Khupa, and Zero area, besides other nearby areas.
ADC Ayushi Sudan told this daily that the service, which comes with “most affordable delivery rates,” became operational from 26 March, the second day of the lockdown.
“One has to place a minimum delivery of Rs 300, and there is a blanket delivery charge of Rs 10 across all delivery points,” she said.
Run by the district administration, the delivery service has a dedicated official on call to receive WhatsApp messages and phone calls. The official then coordinates with the local grocery shops and vendors to acquire the items.
On whether the deliveries are sometimes carried forward to the next day, as is the case in the capital, the ADC said, “We are a small town and had made about 70 deliveries till the day before yesterday. We are also able to meet the demand of same-day delivery, and it takes us about one or two hours to get items delivered since users of the service are limited at the moment.”
Residents are allowed to move for groceries and essential items till about 1 pm. Those who require groceries at their doorsteps can contact the Hayuliang administration at 98628 62606, 69094 24647 and 96121 72593 between 9 am and 5 pm.
Meanwhile, the ‘MeeBuddy’ delivery service app, operational in Lohit HQ Tezu, is also trying to meet the increasing number of orders.
DC Prince Dhawan informed that “in the present scenario of lockdown, MeeBuddy has been activated only for essential services. The remaining services will begin after the lockdown is over.”
On reports that the app goes on offline mode, he clarified that “it was in the initial phase, when the number of users increased within a short time. This thing has now stabilized, and it is not going offline as per recent data.
“However, we will keep on improving and increasing capacity as per consumer demand,” Dhawan said.
MeeBuddy’s director and co-founder, Chandrashekhar Reddy, who is stranded in Tezu due to the lockdown, informed that the administration is providing passes to the delivery boys and assisting in tying up with the local market.
On reports that required items are not available or have been sold out, Reddy explained that “there was limited stock of rice and potato on 25 and 26 March. But all products are on our app since the last two days.”
The MeeBuddy app, which is currently operational only in Tezu, can be downloaded from Google Playstore. One has to order items worth a minimum of Rs 150, and orders can be placed between 9 am and 5 pm. The delivery charge is Rs 30 for upto 2 kms, and varies according to the distance.
