Gig workers call nationwide ‘App Bandh’ on Dec 31, delivery services in Bengaluru likely to be hit
Bengaluru: Delivery services across Bengaluru are expected to face disruption on December 31 as gig workers’ unions have called for a nationwide strike, raising concerns for restaurants and customers ahead of New Year’s Eve.
The protest, described as an ‘App Bandh’, has been called by several national unions including the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) and the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). Union leaders say the strike could see wider participation than a similar call on December 25, which affected parts of Delhi and Gurugram but had little impact on Bengaluru.
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Clarifying that participation is voluntary, IFAT national president Prashant Sawardekar said, “Many workers want to protest, but there is fear of being penalised or blacklisted by platforms. Despite this, the response has been growing.” The union has around seven lakh members across India, with about 35,000 based in Bengaluru. he said.
At the heart of the protest are long-standing demands for regulation of platform companies under labour laws, an end to arbitrary penalties and ID blocking, transparent wage structures, improved social security, and protection of workers’ right to organise. A key demand is a ban on the 10-minute delivery model, which unions argue pushes workers into unsafe conditions. The Karnataka App-based Workers Union has also written to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking intervention.
Delivery workers noted penalties imposed by aggregator platforms have become a major source of distress, as reported by Deccan Herald. Salauddin, a 49-year-old delivery executive planning to join the strike, said delays beyond their control often lead to fines. “If a restaurant is late or a customer is unresponsive, we still get penalised. There is no accountability on others, only on us,” he said.
Others point to safety concerns, particularly on New Year’s Eve. “The streets are chaotic that night. It’s not worth risking your life for work where neither the company nor customers respect you,” said Sandeep K, a 39-year-old food delivery and porter agent, urging more workers to participate.
Unions have also appealed to home service workers and cab drivers to join the protest, though city-based unions indicated that cab and auto services are unlikely to be affected.
Restaurants and smaller establishments said they may rely on phone orders and in-house staff for deliveries, while larger chains fear significant disruption. With around 35 multiple food brands outlets in the city, Nikhil Gupta, told DH setting up an alternative delivery system at short notice was not feasible. “We are still waiting for payments from aggregator platforms and are hoping services continue. Otherwise, our operations will take a serious hit,” he said.
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Mathura boat capsize tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13
Mathura (UP)(PTI): With the recovery of two more bodies on Sunday, the death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Yamuna river in Mathura has climbed to 13, officials said on Sunday.
Search for three more missing persons is underway.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said renewed search efforts led to the recovery of the body of a college student, identified as Dinki Bansal, near Devraha Baba Ghat and that of a man identified as Rishabh Sharma approximately 3 km away from the accident site.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon when a boat carrying over two dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.
Most of the victims were from Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with the district administration and local police were actively engaged in the search for the missing pilgrims.
However, strong currents of the Yamuna river and the significant depth of the water at the ghats are proving a hindrance.
Circle Officer (Mant) Sandeep Singh said the Yamuna river stretch extending from Keshi Ghat to Gokul Barrage has been divided into seven sectors.
The search for the missing individuals will now be conducted within this specific 20-square-km zone. A Station House Officer (SHO) has been designated as the in-charge for each sector.
Acting on the orders of the DIG (Agra Range), seven SHOs will oversee operations across the seven sectors of river Yamuna.
Giving details about the operation, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma, citing NDRF officials, on Saturday had said although the search for the missing persons is currently focused within a 14-km radius from the spot where the boat had capsized, there is a possibility that they may have been swept much further downstream.
SHO of Vrindavan police station Sanjay Pandey said boat operator Pappu was arrested late on Friday night.
He is accused of failing to provide life jackets to passengers before allowing them to board the boat, and operating the boat at high speed. This resulted in the boat losing control and colliding with a pontoon bridge's drum, which led to the accident, officials said.
Police have registered a case and also arrested the contractor, Narayan Sharma, responsible for the repair work on the pontoon bridge.
Rawat said that on Friday evening, police registered a case under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the boatman Pappu (alias Dauji) and Sharma, and subsequently arrested them.
According to the case details, Pappu's boat did not have any safety equipment or provisions whatsoever.
Moreover, despite repeated pleas from pilgrims, Pappu operated the boat at high speed. By the time he realised the danger upon approaching the pontoons of the bridge, it was already too late.
Consequently, after colliding with a pontoon drum, the boat lost control and capsized. It has also come to light that he is among those operators who have not obtained the requisite license to operate a boat.
Sharma was carrying out the work of dismantling and reassembling the pontoon bridge without providing any prior notification.
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