A single-member committee probing ghee procurement lapses in Tirumala laddu prasadam between 2019 and 2024 has held former TTD executive officer AV Dharma Reddy chiefly responsible for major lapses.
The panel, comprising retired Andhra Pradesh chief secretary Dinesh Kumar, identified Dharma Reddy as the main culprit for diluting tender norms, failing to act against suppliers on confirmed adulteration, and allowing questionable suppliers.
The report also named former executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal for allegedly approving tender condition relaxations without due diligence and several others for key decisions that weakened safeguards against manipulation.
Adulterated ghee was allowed into the system despite clear scientific evidence, the report said, citing a CFTRI report that detected ß-Sitosterol in all tested samples.
The procurement framework itself incentivised adulteration, with excessive tendencies to select the lowest bidder leading to acceptance of abnormally low bids that ruled out supply of pure ghee.
As a result, over 7 million kilograms of ghee were procured without mandatory testing, and adulterated ghee was consumed by lakhs of devotees.
The report recommended strict disciplinary action against officials deemed responsible, blacklisting and penalising erring suppliers, and introducing a complete overhaul of the procurement system.
