The food chain says that it is not delivering food in a lot of areas after delivery area parameters were realigned in 2009-10.

Okhla residents are not saying: 'I'm lovin' it!' And that is because international fast food chain McDonald's is not taking orders for food delivery in the minority-dominated area. An Okhla resident has recently approached the Delhi Minorities Commission alleging discrimination by the food chain's New Friends Colony outlet. The Delhi Minority Commission has sought a reply from McDonald's.

Tariq Khan, a resident of Ghaffar Manzil in Okhla, filed a complaint with the Delhi Minorities Commission on January 4. In the complaint, Khan said he ordered food from the outlet for his family and some guests. After waiting for an hour, he called again. "The executive told me they cannot deliver food in our area as it is on their 'negative' list. We feel the reason behind this is the area is mostly occupied by the minority population," Khan said in his complaint to the commission.

Khan has now asked the commission to intervene in the matter. "I request you to please intervene in the matter and find out the reason behind this (discrimination). The fast food outlet is giving us bizarre reasons for non-delivery. They also said that people living in the area do not pay for the food they order. How is that possible?" he said in his complaint letter.

The commission has taken cognisance of his complaint. "We have issued notice to the headquarters of the food company and asked them to explain the reasons for nondelivery. The complainant has accused the company of discrimination," Qamar Ahmad, Chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission told Mail Today.

Ghaffar Manzil, along with other areas in Okhla like Batla House, Okhla Vihar, Zakir Nagar, Zakir Bagh, Jamia Nagar, Abul Fazal Enclave and Shaheen Bagh, has a population of around 2 lakh, of which 70 per cent is Muslim.

The commission is now waiting for the food chain to respond. "We are waiting for them to reply to our notice. We need to know what the company has to say," said Ahmad.

When Mail Today contacted McDonald's, they agreed that they do not deliver to a lot of areas in Okhla, as a matter of policy. They also claimed they were yet to receive any notice in this regard. Responding to the queries, McD said delivery of food in several areas including Okhla and its vicinity was stopped since 2009-10 after a realignment of delivery area parameters. The company, however, maintained that Okhla was not the only area where food delivery was unavailable.

"We have not received any communication from the Minorities Commission so far? we do not discriminate between our customers at all. We are not able to deliver to a lot of areas in Okhla (and its vicinity) because they exceed our delivery area parameters which were realigned in 2009-10: and because of which a lot of areas that we were earlier delivering to are now not being covered. Unfortunately, we cannot deliver to a lot of areas in Delhi as the optimum and required standards cannot be met while delivering," Official Spokesperson, McDonald's India (North & East) said.

"We have not received any communication from the Minorities Commission so far? we do not discriminate between our customers at all. We are not able to deliver to a lot of areas in Okhla (and its vicinity) because they exceed our delivery area parameters which were realigned in 2009-10: and because of which a lot of areas that we were earlier delivering to are now not being covered. Unfortunately, we cannot deliver to a lot of areas in Delhi as the optimum and required standards cannot be met while delivering," Official Spokesperson, McDonald's India (North & East) said.

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