Seven Officials Face Disciplinary Action in TTD Laddu Ghee Probe
Secretary to the labour department, Seshagiri Babu issued a series of government orders on Tuesday, framing charges against the officials.
Tirupati:The state government has initiated disciplinary action against seven officials of the Factories and Boilers Department, based on findings of the special investigation team in the Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case.
Secretary to the labour department, Seshagiri Babu issued a series of government orders on Tuesday, framing charges against the officials.
The action follows allegations that they accepted illegal payments from Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities, while carrying out inspections, certifications and other regulatory duties.
According to the SIT, the Vyshnavi Dairy did not have the required equipment or manufacturing capacity to produce ghee. Despite this, the company obtained approvals and certifications from officials of the factories, boilers and labour departments.
The SIT cited financial transactions between officials and representatives of Vyshnavi Dairy. It concluded that the officials compromised regulatory processes and extended undue favours to the company. Based on these findings, the government decided to proceed against the officials involved in issuing the clearances.
The government has ordered common disciplinary proceedings against former deputy chief inspector of factories Karri Parameswara Rao, deputy chief inspector of boilers Medicherla Satyanarayana, boiler inspectors MVL Narasimha Raju, T Sushma and P Rambabu, inspector of factories N Sivasankara Reddy, and retired factories department supervisor Ramesh Babu.
According to the charges, Sivasankara Reddy allegedly received 150,000 on different occasions between 2021 and 2023 from representatives of Sri Vyshnavi Dairy in connection with inspections and other regulatory functions. Former deputy chief inspector of factories Parameswara Rao allegedly accepted `20,000 on April 26, 2023 during an inspection of the factory.
Deputy chief inspector of boilers Satyanarayana allegedly received Rs 10,000 and Rs 6,000 on April 18, 2023 in connection with inspection and certification of a boiler at the dairy unit. Former Nellore boiler inspector Narasimha Raju allegedly accepted Rs 7,000 on June 9, 2021 for boiler inspection and certification work.
Nellore boiler inspector Sushma allegedly received Rs 10,000 on June 14, 2023 for boiler inspection and certification. Inspector of boilers Rambabu allegedly accepted Rs 15,000 on January 27, 2024 for inspection and certification of a boiler at the factory.
Retired supervisor Ramesh Babu allegedly received `6,000 in two instalments of `3,000 each in December 2021 and November 2023 while discharging regulatory duties related to the company.
The government concluded that the officials accepted illegal gratification from Vyshnavi Dairy and extended undue favours to the company while performing their official duties. It said their actions violated service conduct rules and affected the integrity of regulatory administration.
All the seven officials have been asked to submit their explanations within 10 days. The government will act as the disciplinary authority and conduct a common inquiry into the allegations.