'Allow food, grocery delivery in Delhi during G20 summit'

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Food delivery platforms, restaurant chains and food services companies have urged the government to allow deliveries as part of "essential services similar to the pandemic lockdowns", ahead of the G20 summit.

The government has announced a series of restrictions and closures and said New Delhi will be considered a «controlled zone».

«Food and groceries are essential services. These deliveries were permitted even during Covid-19 lockdowns.

From a consumer convenience perspective, it will be helpful if the government permits these services in compliance with guidelines,» said Dinker Vashisht, vice president, public policy, at food delivery and aggregator platform Swiggy.

As per a public notification issued by the Delhi government, all employers of shops, commercial and business establishments functioning in New Delhi will close their shops, commercial and business establishments from September 8-10.

«Various government departments and ministries had been engaging with hospitality companies for the past many months with the objective of providing good experiences to guests during G20,» Prakul Kumar, Secretary General of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), which represents 500,000 restaurant companies, told ET. «We were looking forward to it.

But with complete closures leading to losses, at least deliveries should be permitted. We have no clarity and no guidelines on the matter so far.»

Executives said the G20 long weekend, which the Centre has declared as a public holiday, leading to a surge in people heading out of town, will further impact sales.

In a letter addressed to the Delhi government, a copy of which ET has seen, the NRAI said, «Food delivery from restaurants may be permitted as part of essential