Haridwar warns delivery co over non-veg deliveries near ghats

Haridwar: Haridwar municipal corporation issued a notice to online delivery platform Rapido after complaints that non-vegetarian food and liquor were being delivered in dry and religiously sensitive areas of the holy city, including stretches near Ganga ghats. The corporation directed the company to stop such deliveries in restricted zones and warned that continued violations would invite legal and administrative action against the platform, its vendors and delivery partners.Additional municipal commissioner Deepak Goswami told TOI that the corporation had received several complaints about the supply of meat products and liquor through Rapido. “We received several complaints about the supply of meat products and liquor through the online booking platform Rapido. We have issued a notice to the company to take action against its agents. However, when we tried to contact an official representative of the company, we found that Rapido does not have a local office or representatives available for communication,” Goswami said.The corporation said the delivery of meat and liquor in notified areas violated religious sentiments and local traditions, as sale and transport of these items are banned in restricted parts of Haridwar. The move came against the backdrop of wider curbs in the city, where municipal authorities recently approved a citywide raw-meat sale ban ahead of the 2027 Ardh Kumbh, while existing rules already prohibited the sale and consumption of meat, liquor and eggs within a 5km radius of Har Ki Pauri.Many local youths use the Rapido app to earn additional income by registering online and accepting delivery alerts through the platform. Aditya Kumar, a local resident who uses the app for extra income, told TOI, “We register on the app online before using it and receive notifications through the app only. We are neither supervised manually nor do we have any number to contact anyone.”The notice directed Rapido to instruct its vendors, agents and delivery partners to comply with the restrictions in the notified zones. Meanwhile, Abhijot, who works with an agency handling public relations for Rapido, told TOI, “We have not received any notice so far, and action will be taken accordingly.”