Many on social media complained after Zomato suspended deliveries of non-vegetarian items.
Food delivery app Zomato on Monday temporarily suspended deliveries of non-vegetarian items in a few states following government directives. The decision coincided with the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
It came to light after a customer complained on social media about the unavailability of chicken in Bhopal, writing, "Zomato is not delivering chicken in Bhopal today lmao,” on X, formerly Twitter.
The user speculated it might have been due to the lack of meat supply on Monday when the Pram Pratishtha ceremony was organised in Ayodhya.
“It could be because the supply of meat not being available today v/s anything decision by Zomato,” the user wrote.
In their response, Zomato clarified, “Hi, 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!”
This move aligns with the decision of several states, including Uttar Pradesh, to prohibit the sale of meat and fish on January 22.
Varun Khera, head of the National Restaurant Association of India in Uttar Pradesh, said that all restaurants in the state decided to serve only vegetarian food on January 22. As part of the consecration ceremony, meat shops in the affected states were closed on Monday. The Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Durga Shankar Mishra, issued an order instructing district magistrates to ensure the closure of liquor shops and meat stores on January 22, as per reports.
Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also announced closing meat shops until 4 pm on Monday for the Ram Temple event. He requested restaurants in the state to avoid serving non-vegetarian food until 2 pm.