On the day of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Zomato, a popular food delivery app, temporarily suspended the delivery of non-vegetarian items in specific states, in compliance with government directives. The decision became apparent when a customer in Bhopal expressed surprise on social media about the unavailability of chicken, stating, “Zomato is not delivering chicken in Bhopal today lmao,” on X (formerly Twitter).
Speculation arose that the absence of meat supply on the day of the Pram Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya might be the reason for this unusual situation. Responding to the customer’s query, 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 decision aligns with the directives issued by several states, including Uttar Pradesh, to restrict the sale of meat and fish on January 22. In Uttar Pradesh, the National Restaurant Association of India, represented by Varun Khera, announced that all restaurants in the state would serve only vegetarian food on January 22. As part of the consecration ceremony, meat shops in the affected states were ordered to remain closed on Monday. Durga Shankar Mishra, the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, issued an order instructing district magistrates to ensure the closure of liquor shops and meat stores on January 22.
Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, also announced the temporary closure of meat shops until 4 pm on Monday in light of the Ram Temple event. Additionally, he requested restaurants in the state to refrain from serving non-vegetarian food until 2 pm.
Nithin Rosh 
Nisham Ismail