Zomato suspends delivery of non-veg items in North India, says this is due to govt order

Zomato suspends delivery of non-veg items in North India, says this is due to govt order

In response to a government order, Zomato has temporarily suspended the delivery of non-vegetarian items in several states in North India. Users across various cities reported the absence of non-veg food options on X (previously Twitter), leading to speculations regarding the cause. It is believed that the move is in respect of the consecration ceremony for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, an event of significant cultural and religious importance.

Zomato, addressing user concerns on X, clarified that the decision to disable the delivery of non-veg items was in compliance with the government’s notice. “We have disabled delivery of non-veg items in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as per govt. notice. Hope this clarification helps,” stated Zomato’s customer care support on the social media platform.

It is not surprising because Varun Khera, the head of the National Restaurant Association of India in Uttar Pradesh, affirmed that restaurants across the state had collectively decided to serve only vegetarian food on January 22. Khera emphasized the need to honour the government’s order, especially considering the magnitude of the event taking place in Ayodhya.

In respect of the ceremony, meat shops in the affected states were closed today. The chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Durga Shankar Mishra, had issued an order instructing district magistrates to ensure the closure of liquor vends and meat shops on January 22.

“The government order didn’t ask us to stay shut on Sunday, but only on Monday. Since so many people are already celebrating the occasion, we thought it would be improper to sell meat amid all the revelry,” Mohammad Ehsanullah, a meat shop owner in Ghaziabad told TOI.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma similarly announced the closure of meat shops and slaughterhouses until 4 pm on January 22 in alignment with the Ram Temple consecration ceremony. He further urged restaurants in Assam to refrain from serving non-vegetarian food items until 2 pm on the day of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’. The Assam government has also declared Jan 22 as a ‘Dry Day’ to maintain the religious sanctity of the event, further reinforcing the significance and solemnity attached to the Ram Mandir consecration.

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