TTD Ghee Case: SIT Says Adulteration Took Place During Both YSRC And TD Terms
Blame put mainly on the TTD procurement wing; corruption cited: Reports
TIRUPATI:The CBI-led Special Investigation Team’s findings on ghee procurement at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams have intensified the political slugfest between the Telugu Desam-led alliance and the YSR Congress, with both sides citing the chargesheet to bolster their positions.
According to the chargesheet filed before the ACB court in Nellore, adulterated ghee entered the TTD supply chain as early as February 2019, when the Telugu Desam government was in power. The earliest such supply was routed through Harsh Fresh Dairy, a proxy firm linked to Bhole Baba Dairy, SIT said.
Investigators found that the firm secured contracts by submitting forged inspection reports and fabricating a compliance trail through collusion with officials in the TTD procurement wing and external dairy experts.
The chargesheet stated that the Harsh Fresh Dairy Products, incorporated in 2012, quoted `291 per kg to supply 82,000kg of ghee in tins and positioned itself as the lowest bidder in February 2019.
The firm “neither procured milk nor produced genuine dairy fat, but supplied adulterated material blended with palm oil, palm kernel oil and chemical additives such as mono-glycerides and acetic acid esters,” in gross violation of stringent procurement norms.
The investigation also referred to Premier Agri Foods pvt ltd, noting that it had been supplying ghee to TTD since 2013 and continued across changes in governments and procurement guidelines.
In fact, the adulterated ghee supplies to TTD for laddu-making persisted both before and after the revision of procurement norms in February 2020 when the YSRC was in office.
While alliance leaders argued that changes to the procurement norms during the YSRC tenure enabled dubious suppliers to enter the system, YSRC leaders cited the chargesheet to assert that the problem existed much before the 2020 revisions; meaning, also during the previous TD rule.
Former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and other YSRC leaders said the findings dismissed the claims that the revised norms alone caused the lapses.
The chargesheet alleged that Bhole Baba Dairy continued operations through proxy firms, including Vyshnavi Dairy, AR Dairy and Malganga, securing contracts in 2023 through false reports and internal collusion.
It also cited instances of rejection of four AR Dairy ghee tankers by the National Dairy Development Board in mid-2024 and that these were allegedly rerouted for laddu preparation.
The SIT attributed the persistence of such suppliers to shortcomings or corruption within the TTD procurement wing, regardless of policy changes or change of administrations.
