Ayodhya is ready to welcome KFC if it takes chicken off menu: Report

The district administration in Ayodhya is ready to welcome KFC, but with a condition that it will sell only vegetarian items, Moneycontrol reported on Monday. KFC, an American fast-food restaurant chain, specialises in fried chicken. A government official told the business site that KFC has set up its unit on the Ayodhya-Lucknow highway because the government does not allow non-vegetarian food items in Ayodhya. "We are ready to provide even KFC a space if it decides to sell only vegetarian items," the official said.

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The official further said that the administration has offers from big food chain outlets to set up their shops in Ayodhya. "We welcome them with open arms, but there is only one restriction, that they should not serve non-veg food items inside the panch Kosi," the official said. 

BJP's Ayodhya President Kamlesh Srivastava said the administration was inviting bid food chains to the city so that devotees coming from across the country can get food to their taste. He said the Ayodhya Development Authority was planning to set up a food plaza at Chaudhary Charan Singh Ghat, for which construction work has started, and the outlets will be ready by February, the report said. 

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After the opening of the grand Ram Temple on January 22, Ayodhya has seen a massive surge in devotees. Till January 29, almost 19 lakh devotees visited the newly inaugurated Ram Mandir. By some estimates, more than three lakh people are expected to visit Ayodhya daily. 

Abhishek Singh, another senior official at the state's industry department, said with the surge in temple tourism, Bisleri and Haldiram have proposals to set up their units in and around Ayodhya. "Besides, many companies like Parle are strengthening their distribution channels of food chain outlets, particularly packaged water, biscuits and namkeen," he told Moneycontrol.

The Uttar Pradesh government has banned the sale of meat and liquor in Ayodhya's Panchkosi Parikrama Marg. Ahead of the consecration ceremony, the state government ordered the shutdown of shops selling meat and fish. "The Uttar Pradesh government has issued a notification banning the sale of meat and liquor on January 22," a government spokesperson had said.