Shillong, Jul 2: Taking a softer line than the executive council in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has done, Leader of the Opposition Titosstarwell Chyne has called for a balanced approach towards Blinkit, an ecommerce company.
The EC effectively banned Blinkit from operating in Shillong as it chose not to award it a licence to operate in areas under KHADC jurisdiction in order to protect small shopkeepers.
Blinkit, which is now owned by Zomato, allows customers to order groceries and other essentials via an app which are sourced from the company’s warehouses (known as dark stores) and delivered within a few minutes.
Chyne today said that the KHADC’s policies should keep pace with changing times. He acknowledged that indigenous shopkeepers and other businesspeople should be protected but consumers must also have the freedom to choose where they want to shop. If the KHADC acts against Blinkit with a total ban, it should also apply the same standards to other ecommerce giants.
