Probe finds adulterated ghee used in Tirumala Srivari Laddu, blames former TTD Executive Officer A.V. Dharma Reddy for tender lapses, weak oversight, urges action on officials
Tirumala (L) and the prasad laddu (R) (PTI photos)
A serious case of policy lapses, quality control and involvement of fake companies have come to the fore in Tirumala Srivari Laddu ghee probe. The investigation led by a single-member committee headed by retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar found irregularities in the supply of adulterated ghee used for preparing the sacred laddu prasadam.
After the investigation, the report now holds former Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy primarily responsible, citing major lapses in tender policies, oversight, and quality control.
The committee also recommends disciplinary action against several officials involved in the procurement process. The committee recently submitted to the five its findings.
In its investigation report, the single-member probe panel led by Kumar said that the “committee identified A.V. Dharma Reddy as the main person responsible for the entry of adulterated ghee suppliers into TTD.”
The report said that tender rules for ghee procurement were deliberately relaxed, allowing unqualified and unreliable suppliers to participate. It also said that the verification was done properly before awarding contracts to the suppliers.
“Proper verification of suppliers’ credentials, capacity, and quality assurance systems was not carried out. Fraudulent companies were awarded contracts due to negligence and weak scrutiny processes,” it said.
“Even after disqualifying Bole Baba Dairy, it was allowed to continue supplying ghee, showing serious administrative failure. Despite detecting adulteration by Bole Baba, Vaishnavi, and Premier dairies in August 2022, they were not blacklisted and continued operations,” the committee said.
It was found in the probe that mandatory beta-sitosterol testing was not included in tender conditions for a long period, despite being required from July 1, 2022.
“The issue of adulterated ghee was not brought to the notice of the governing board, indicating lack of transparency. The TTD laboratory was not upgraded to conduct required quality tests, and FSSAI guidelines were not implemented,” it said.
Andhra Pradesh, India, India
Read More
