TIRUPATI: Congress leader P. Naveen Kumar Reddy demanded that the state government bring the TTD under the CAG and Right to Information act (RTI) and also asked for a judicial enquiry to ensure transparency and check corruption in the TTD’s marketing wing.
He spoke to media persons at Tirupati on Friday before going to submit a representation to the Governor of AP and Telangana.
Levelling allegations against the TTD administration, he said that the top brass of the TTD was following a negligent attitude in purchasing essential materials for making prasadams and it was the sole reason for the falling standards of prasadams at the Tirumala temple.
“The TTD is making millions of laddus and other rice-made prasadams in huge quantity for the sake of visiting pilgrims but the temple management has never bothered to recognise the truth that the standards and quality of the laddu and other prasadams is falling,” he alleged.
Pointing out at the marketing department, Mr. Naveen stated, “I have come to know that the material that is produced as sample while securing the tender is different from the one that is being supplied later. Taking undue advantage of the mounting pressure to supply tonnes and tonnes of material required for making prasadams, contractors with the active help of some vested interests in the TTD working hand in glove with them, are are indulging in this act of corruption”.
He further alleged that the TTD did not have a quality control mechanism or a quality control lab at Tirupati where the TTD’s gigantic marketing godown was located. “On the contrary, it has, for the sake of formality, a quality testing lab at Tirumala which is managed by unskilled contractors to test the quality of the items being supplied”, he added.
Recalling the previously exposed scam of Rs 2.5 crores, involving corruption in an SVBC channel of TTD, Mr. Naveen said, “A CVSO officer, who is known for his honesty and discipline, got transferred to an unknown place after he exposed the alleged scam.
In this connection, Film Director and ruling TD supporter K. Raghavendra Rao was strongly supporting the then CEO of SVBC who was facing serious allegations and was removed from service. He went scot free. Till date no recovery has been made.”
