Relief on plate: BMC allows 24x7 home deliveries in city

Late-night commute of restaurant staffers could be an issue, said people from the food and beverage industry

Days after food deliveries in the city were restricted to between 7 am and 8 pm, the BMC on Wednesday said they will be allowed 24/7. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray assured the agitated traders that their grievances will be discussed with the Cabinet. This has given a ray of hope to the traders, who demand that businesses be allowed on the weekdays.

All online home deliveries of food and essential supplies (e-commerce) through all online service providers like Zomato, Swiggy, etc, are allowed 24 hours," said a BMC notification.

The civic body, however, clarified that during the weekend lockdown, in-person takeaways from hotels will not be allowed, but home deliveries can continue.

Good first step

The order comes as a partial relief for the city's food and beverage industry, which has been struck hard by the state's decision to shutter restaurants in the wake of rising COVID cases. Restaurateur and National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) president Anurag Katriar shared that the notification is a step in the right direction.

"At least one part of the business can open up. It's not going to change the fortunes of restaurants, but it's a good first step and we'll continue to engage with the authorities on how to restart restaurants with stricter protocols," he said.

Better than nothing

Abhayraj Singh Kohli, who runs several Grandmama's Cafe, Pritam Da Dhaba and Tori, noted that "something is better than nothing at the moment". "Now, we can at least employ a few more people; it will save some jobs. The 8 pm deadline had made no sense as that meant winding up business by 7.30-45 pm, and nobody eats food at that time. There are so many people who depend on deliveries such as the elderly and working professionals. You can't suddenly expect them to start cooking for themselves," he added.

However, he pointed out that the fate of those involved in serving food or on the front desk at restaurants still hangs in balance. "Totally shutting down restaurants is not the solution; there can be other ways to tackle the situation. We are the second-largest employers after agriculture," he asserted.

Chef Gaurav Gidwani, who runs the delivery kitchen Indian Aroma that was born in the lockdown last year, welcomed the order, but questioned what kind of commuting support will those working till late in the kitchens get, considering the night curfew.

"Most of the people working in delivery or restaurant kitchens travel by public transport. What will be the public transport support that will be given to them? We have to think about our staff so that travelling doesn't put their lives in jeopardy. The harsh reality is that they are often harassed for travelling during curfew/lockdown hours," he explained, adding that he hopes to receive support from the government.