After the coronavirus pandemic, hotels and restaurants of Bokaro are seeing a steep fall in demand for chicken dishes, the ongoing bird flu scare dealing another blow to the hospitality industry that had only recently been allowed to resume services amid strict Covid safety protocols.

Local residents, who had just about begun visiting eateries, have stopped now. And those who are going to the restaurants, are showing a keen preference for vegetarian items even though no instance of bird flu has been detected in the district, according to the state animal husbandry department.

The poultry industry has incurred huge losses due to the sharp decline in demand. Fear looms large as several dead birds have been recovered during the last four or five days, but bird flu is yet to be confirmed.

Roadside food vendors who only serve non-vegetarian dishes have been badly hit. Kaka, a vendor at Sector-3, who was doing roaring business, has witnessed a 50 per cent drop in sales.

He said, “I only sell chicken biryani. Customers from outside the district come to my roadside stall. But because of bird flu scare, my business got badly affected.”

Vikram Shanan, the owner of the prominent Zaika Resort and restaurant chain of Bokaro, said: “Due to bird flu, the demand for poultry products has dropped to 50 per cent. People have switched over to vegetarian menus. There is also a drop in demand for mutton products.”

Amit Johar, the owner of West Inn Hotel, also noted that customers now preferred vegetarian dishes. “Since the last two days, the sale of poultry products has dropped by 20-25 per cent. Residents are scared of ordering chicken dishes,” he said, adding that restaurants known for serving non-vegetarian food, had added more vegetarian dishes in their menu.

Those directly associated with the poultry trade are also worried. Dhanesh Kumar, a trader, said, “The bird flu scare has badly affected our business. I have now started selling other products like vegetables and fruits for survival.”

District animal husbandry officer Manoj Mani said, “We are alert. Till now, no such case has been detected in the district.”