TIRUPATI: A video of Srivari laddu prasadam weighing less than the prescribed weight has gone viral on social media on Thursday, embarrassing the TTD and creating confusion among the devotees of Lord Venkateswara.
The laddu, which should weigh between 160 to 180 grams was shown weighing around 90 to 100 grams in the video shared by a devotee on social media platforms.
In the video, a devotee was seen requesting the laddu counter staff to weigh the laddu he had purchased. When the counter staff weighed the Srivari laddu on the weighing machine at the counter, it read 90-100 grams in repeated attempts, as against the prescribed weight of 160 to 180 grams.
The video showed the devotee arguing with the counter staff and accusing the government and the TTD board of deceit in the prasadam distribution. As the video went viral on social media, criticism was harsh from several quarters against the TTD and the state government.
A while later, TTD officials claimed that there was complete transparency in the production and distribution of Srivari Laddus. The laddu prasadam would never be less than 160 grams, but ithe weight of the laddu was shown less in the present video due to a technical problem in the weighing machine at that particular laddu counter, they reasoned.
“After laddus are prepared in Srivari Potu (temple kitchen), the Potu workers load them in a tray, which is weighed by TTD officials every day before this is dispatched to the sale counters. The difference of minus 70 grams (as shown in the video) is only because of the technical problem that occurred in the laddu weighing machine and lack of knowledge on the same by the contract workers,”, TTD management claimed in a statement.
The TTD administration clarified that the Tirumala laddu never weighs less than 160 grams and that the TTD had been following the same Dittam (list of ingredients and its proportions used in making of Laddu) for the past several years and that the Potu workers preparing the laddus never compromised on quality or quantity.
Caught on the wrong foot, the TTD urged devotees to inform the officials at laddu counters of any lapse so that it could be resolved immediately.
