TTD To Enforce Strict Transfer Rule,Ooverhaul Procurement In Marketing Wing
Under the revised norms, no employee or officer would be allowed to work in the marketing department beyond two years.
Nellore:The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board has decided to introduce a mandatory transfer policy and rework its purchase system to bring transparency to its marketing wing, which manages raw material procurement for laddus, daily naivedyam and various temple requirements.
Under the revised norms, no employee or officer would be allowed to work in the marketing department beyond two years. The Board has instructed that this limit be made compulsory, ending the practice of staff continuing in the same section for extended periods.
Before posting anyone to the wing, the vigilance department will now verify their past service record and check whether they have faced complaints related to procurement in earlier assignments.
The decision comes amid continuing criticism over irregular practices in procurements handled by the wing.
The department has faced allegations in recent years over substandard materials entering temple use through tenders, including suspicions involving ghee supplied for laddu prasadam and a recent case where two firms reportedly attempted to participate in cashew procurement with forged documents.
Although several inquiries are under way, the Board maintains that such issues underscored the need for systemic change rather than case-based action alone.
Along with the transfer policy, the TTD is preparing to alter its purchasing schedule. Materials are currently bought frequently, sometimes every 10 to 15 days, resulting in last-minute approvals and repetitive tendering.
The Board now plans to shift to quarterly procurement, supported by expanded storage facilities. Departments have been instructed to plan inventories three months in advance and avoid rushed purchases, except under demonstrable emergency conditions.
“We are restructuring the system to ensure that no one section becomes vulnerable to influence,” a Board member said, adding that the reforms are meant to strengthen vigilance at the entry point of every material used in the temple.
He said the new rules would be implemented in phases, with the aim of creating a more transparent procurement mechanism and restoring confidence in supplies handled by the marketing division.