The concept of home delivery seems poised to take to new heights, literally. Some days back, eyes popped out in Mumbai to watch a drone carrying a carton of pizza, like a huge eagle flying with a fawn in its claws. It was an unusual, but thrilling sight for many.
After hovering around high-rises, the drone landed at the designated roof and gently placed the carton before flying back. It was picked up by the intended receiver as cameras clicked pictures of the rare event. As promised by the company, the pizza had been delivered within 30 minutes. It was an exciting, rather revolutionary, moment that brought a broad grin on the faces of many onlookers on the streets as well as those in the pizza company. But at the same time, police and other security forces were frowning upon the whole episode. They had genuine concerns about security — and of course, violation of privacy. Fitted with cameras, the drone could take pictures of people sitting or resting in their balconies or even inside their apartments. That would only kick up heat and dust.
The law-enforcing agencies’ worry was that these unmanned flying machines could be used by undesirable elements to plant incendiaries in places that would otherwise be inaccessible. Even if the movement of drones is strictly controlled, the scope for mischief will still be there. Every now and then people see in India how, despite the best of security arrangements, criminal elements have managed to carry out nefarious activities.
Hours after the pizza company sent out the drone and delivered the pizza, the Mumbai police got into a tizzy. It wanted to know whether or not the company had obtained clearance from the authorities concerned before flying out the drone. It could hamper the functioning of the air traffic controllers at the airports and affect air services — both civil and defence forces.
That is only one aspect of the story. There could be many more serious implications of drone deployment in our daily lives. Notwithstanding such concerns, I was imagining things while watching on television the pizza being delivered. I wondered what would be the scene if companies were granted licences to deploy these flying machines for home deliveries? Well, the first thing to happen would be that we would witness the daily chaos we see on our roads being replicated in the skies, right over our heads!
Yes, of course, children will be happy to receive their favourite burgers, chocolates, cold drinks, toy cars and dolls air-dropped right at their multistoreyed apartments without having to pester their parents to go out and buy them. Housewives will be too happy to get all their cosmetics and fancy clothes delivered to them at home. It is a different subject altogether that this mode of home delivery may make them more immobile and add to their waistline. In any case, the old-fashioned head of the family would have to trek to the bank for withdrawals because currency notes may not be delivered through drones! If weight is not a constraint, the neighbourhood grocer may send all the provision by the ‘drone service’ even at the risk of a big-sized coconut or watermelon accidentally falling on the head of some pedestrian and an angry crowd finding itself unable to rough up the culprit since it’s a flying machine!
And what if the drone is hit by a bird, which survives but paralyses the drone and then feasts on the eatables!
These surmises apart, the prospect of introduction of the ‘drone service’ is causing genuine fears among courier boys. I casually broached the subject with Ranjit, a young courier boy, who had delivered a packet to me. He said the pizza delivery by drone was watched by his colleagues on TV in their office and briefly discussed. Though they did not apprehend any imminent threat to their livelihood, who knows? If it becomes a reality, says Ranjit, the courier service industry may be severely hit. Ranjit said his father Panna Lal had retired as a postman after a glorious service. Panna Lal had failed to get a postman’s job under the Central Government. So, he chose the next best job — working for a courier company.
Now does the drone pose any threat to the established courier services? asks this young man.
Lalit Raizada is a journalist based in India.
