DEHRADUN: The food safety section of Uttarakhand health department has served notices to officials of Swiggy and Zomato in Haridwar for violating municipal norms by delivering non-vegetarian food in restricted areas of the holy city.
Giving out details, RS Pal, deputy food safety officer, Haridwar, said, “Local residents had complained to city magistrate Jagdish Lal recently. Following which, we were asked to investigate the matter. The two companies failed to show Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence to the teams that had gone to inspect their offices. The firms also had not obtained no-objection certificates from the municipal corporation to deliver non-veg products.”
He added that they violated the bylaws of the holy city and hurt the sentiments of the locals. “The bylaws of Haridwar municipal corporation prohibit sale of non-veg food items and meat products within city limits, including Jawalapur, Har-ki-Pauri, Kankhal, Kharkhari, Motichur and Haripur areas. We have now given them seven days to present their side.”
When contacted, Zomato said in an emailed reply, “We have been working with FSSAI over the past year to ensure that there are no complaints. We have already applied for a licence for our operations in Haridwar. We respect the religious sentiments of the holy city and will oblige with the directives set by the authorities.”
A Swiggy spokesperson said, “We deeply regret the lapse in delivering non-veg food in the restricted area. We have addressed the issue and would like to reiterate that as of March 16, Swiggy is delivering only vegetarian food in Haridwar.” The email further stated, “Swiggy has a central FSSAI licence and only lists FSSAI registered restaurants on the platform.”
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