The Ministry of Consumer Affairs raises alarms over rider safety and traffic violations; delivery giants to pivot towards “estimated” arrival times.
New Delhi, January 13, 2026 – The era of ultra-fast “10-minute” deliveries in India has come to an end. Following a high-level meeting chaired by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Road Transport, quick-commerce giants including Zomato-owned Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart have agreed to stop using the “10-minute delivery” promise in their marketing and operations.
The government intervened after a series of reports highlighted that delivery partners were forced to violate traffic signals and speed recklessly to meet the strict deadlines, leading to a spike in road fatalities. Under the new guidelines, platforms will shift to a more realistic “Estimated Time of Arrival” (ETA) based on real-time traffic, distance, and rider availability. While the speed of service remains a priority, the government has made it clear that “speed cannot come at the cost of human life.”
