Aditya Kalra, Abhirup Roy

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Zomato Ltd, an Indian food delivery giant is getting a lot of backlash online for plans to launch a quick food delivery service in 10 minutes. Critics claim that this raises the road safety risks for courier riders.

Deepinder Goyal, CEO of Zomato Instant, stated late Monday that the company would use “Zomato Instant”, a network of “finishing stations” to provide food delivery. These “finishing stations” will be densely placed and house popular items from local restaurants. They also employ a sophisticated demand forecast algorithm.

Goyal posted on LinkedIn and Twitter that “Nobody has yet delivered hot, fresh food in less than 10 minutes at scale,” (NYSE:). We were excited to be first.

Zomato’s announcement generated a frenzy of responses within hours. One lawmaker raised questions about the business model, while executive voices concerns over rider safety on Indian roads.

Zomato does not reply to any requests for comment from China’s Ant Group.

Social media users urged us to reconsider our position. They said food is better left alone, as Indian ambulances take longer to get patients. LinkedIn users questioned whether such a model was necessary.

“I don’t want to eat food that someone has brought to me while keeping his life at risk,” wrote Gunjan Rastogi, a researcher at India’s RSB Insights & Analytics.

Indian lawmaker Karti P.Chidambaram tweeted “This absurd!” This will put undued pressure on delivery staff.

The Monday announcement by Zomato CEO began with the following: “We will begin with clarification…we don’t put any pressure upon delivery partners.”

Goyal tweeted again on Tuesday, stressing delivery would be safe for riders and will not face any penalties. He also asked people to get to know the model “before it outraged”.

With Blinkit, a SoftBank-backed grocery startup in India that is expanding quickly and Zepto leading the charge, “Quick Commerce” has been all the rage. Reuters reported that delivery riders were often under pressure to meet set deadlines. They also feared being rebuked in store managements.

Critics claim that Indian roads pose too many risks. Many roads in India are clogged with potholes, and drivers often disregard basic safety rules. According to the World Bank in India, there is a crash that kills around 150,000 people every year.

However, customers are reliant on quick-commerce grocery services for their immediate shopping needs.

Sonu Sekharan, a LinkedIn user said that “I’d be very happy to have my food within 10 minutes.”