Zomato starts home delivering alcohol in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Zomato announced that it will start delivering alcohol in Odisha from Tuesday.

The service named Zomato Wine Shops would be available on the home page of the Zomato app and will allow users to select any product from the listed retailers (just like grocery stores) and get it delivered right to their doorsteps, said a press statement.

Starting with Bhubaneswar, Zomato will soon expand to other cities like Rourkela, Balasore, Balangir, Sambalpur, Berhampur and Cuttack.

Users can avail the service from 9 am to 6 pm as permitted by the state authorities. The app will only feature licensed retailers, who have applied for the service.

“We’re happy to be of service to our users in Odisha who can now use Zomato to get alcohol delivered in addition to grocery and food delivery. We are working very closely with excise departments to ensure end-to-end compliance to the safety guidelines and are also introducing consumption and identity verification protocols to promote responsible ordering and consumption.

We are thankful to the Odisha government and the liquor retail industry in enabling safe and compliant delivery of alcoholic beverages in Odisha. We look forward to building this partnership together,” said Rakesh Ranjan, Vice President at Zomato.

Zomato has also built several safety processes and checks ensure safe delivery of alcohol. There would be age checks at the time of ordering as well as when the product is delivered.

Users will be required to upload a valid ID proof to be eligible for ordering which would later be verified by the delivery partner at the time of handing over the order. There would also be product category limits to promote responsible ordering.

Zomato has one of the widest delivery networks in the country which has been involved in providing essential services since the lockdown. For delivering alcohol, the company is providing special training to all its active delivery partners so that they follow necessary safety norms.