In a first, Amazon starts delivery service in Uttarakhand's remote village at 4,500 feet

Amazon, an online retailer, announced on Tuesday that it has begun offering delivery services in Gajoli, a remote village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi region.

The company claims that it is now the first and only online retailer to deliver items to the 4,500-foot-high Maharishi Ashram in Gajoli, within the Himalayan mountain range.

The Ashram area is devoid of stores or delivery services. The organisation stated that it takes a lot of time and effort to deliver orders here.

"Over the last few years, we have significantly ramped up our infrastructure and delivery technology across all three miles, building a fast, safe, and resilient network to serve the varied needs of our customers, reaching the remotest corners of the country," Karuna Shankar Pande, Director, Amazon Logistics, Amazon India, said.

Amazon launched its operations in the region with a Delivery Service Partner station in March 2019, catering to the population in and around Uttarkashi. Identifying a specific need for the Maharishi Ashram in Gajoli, the station started delivering to the ashram in early 2020. More than 4 years of being the only e-commerce company delivering in Maharishi Ashram is a testament to Amazon’s customer obsession in India.

For the delivery associates, the journey is more than just a road—it's a promise that involves an unusual mountain path for a 25-kilometer bike ride and an over 3-kilometer trek through a terrain with high-rise ridges, hills, and plateaus. The rarity of flat areas makes the journey particularly difficult during the winter and monsoon seasons.