Mumbai Officials Say 24-Hour Food Deliveries Allowed, After Zomato CEO Calls Out Swiggy on Twitter

Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal on Twitter asked Mumbai Police to clarify the rules for night delivery.

By Edited by Gadgets 360 Newsdesk | Updated: 15 April 2021 14:40 IST

Mumbai Officials Say 24-Hour Food Deliveries Allowed, After Zomato CEO Calls Out Swiggy on Twitter

Zomato CEO Goyal said he recieved updated guidelines from a Mumbai municipal corporation official

Highlights

Goyal posted a screenshot showing Swiggy allowing deliveries past 8pm
The Mumbai police department was quick to clear the air
Soon after, Goyal tweeted that Zomato had received a clarification

In light of the rising coronavirus cases in the state, the Maharashtra government recently issued several curfew-like curbs. As part of this, the government had stated that all establishments and public spaces will remain closed, except for essential services that will function between 7am and 8pm on working days. While restaurants have been shut, food delivery was allowed throughout the state. However, there appeared to be some ambiguity regarding the time period in which these deliveries could be carried out.

In this regard, Deepinder Goyal, Zomato founder and CEO, wrote on Twitter, “Zomato is prepared to provide the essential food delivery service post 8pm in Mumbai, but we are not doing so because we are abiding by the letter of the law.”

Zomato is prepared to provide the essential food delivery service post 8pm in Mumbai, but we are not doing so because we are abiding by the letter of the law.

I see our competition is continuing to operate post 8pm. I urge @MumbaiPolice to please clarify the way forward here. pic.twitter.com/LFd9qZUmED
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) April 14, 2021

Along with the post, Goyal posted a screenshot showing Zomato competitor Swiggy allowing deliveries past the 8pm curfew. “I see our competition is continuing to operate post 8pm. I urge Mumbai Police to please clarify the way forward here,” he added.

The police department was quick to clear the air and responded to the comment by saying, “Kindly read the government notification. It says that home delivery is allowed but there is no time limit specified.”

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Kindly read the Govt Notification. It says that Home Delivery is allowed but there is no time limit specified.
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 14, 2021

Soon after, Goyal tweeted that Zomato had received a clarification, sharing updated guidelines from a Mumbai municipal corporation official. The guidelines said “all online home deliveries of food and essential supplies (e-commerce) through all online service providers like Zomato, Swiggie [sic] etc., are allowed to operate 24 hours on all days of the week.” In the same tweet, Goyal apologised to Swiggy, saying “I am sorry, had no other choice. I love you.”

Thank you. Mumbai, we are on tomorrow. We have received the notice at 9:54pm. @swiggy_in - I am sorry, had no other choice. I love you ❤️ https://t.co/LbPMNRJL2i
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) April 14, 2021

A thread of updated Lockdown Guidelines in Mumbai:

Public Places:
Weekdays (7am-8pm) - movement of no more than 5 people allowed

Weekdays (8pm-7am) & 8pm Fri to 7am Mon - no movement except essential services

Beaches - Closed till 30 Apr

(1/n)#BreakTheChain #TakingOnCorona
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 7, 2021

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, in his address via social media, had said that the state government has allowed the e-commerce delivery of essential goods and services, which included food delivery. Groceries, vegetables, fruits, dairy, bakery, and confectionery products, and all types of foods fall under essential services under the curfew rule. However, it was specified that all delivery executives must have tested negative for COVID-19.

????Guidelines for containment & management of COVID-19 ????#BreakTheChain
(13th April 2021) pic.twitter.com/p6lQ3KMlFi
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) April 13, 2021

With regard to home deliveries, the circular had also mentioned, “All the home deliveries to buildings housing more than one family are expected to be restricted to the entrance of the building and internal movement of the delivery should be by a dedicated staff of the building. It is also expected that all the interactions of home delivery staff and the building personnel are disciplined and COVID appropriate.”

Why did LG give up on its smartphone business? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 22:00), we talk about the new co-op RPG shooter Outriders. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Zomato Denies Merger Talks With Rival Swiggy

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.