TTD files plaint against AR Dairy for adulterated ghee
Update: 2024-09-25 12:30 GMT
Tirupati: TTD has filed a police complaint against Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Foods Pvt Ltd, accusing the company of supplying adulterated ghee for use in the preparation of its laddu prasadam.
The complaint, lodged with the Tirupati East police on Wednesday, comes after the recent row over use of substandard ghee for prasadam preparations at the Tirumala temple.
TTD executive officer, Syamala Rao, recently said four tanker loads of ghee supplied by AR Dairy had been rejected due to suspicions of adulteration. He said criminal charges might be filed in the matter.
According to the complaint lodged by TTD general manager for procurement, Muralikrishna, the temple had placed an order for 10 lakh kg of ghee with AR Dairy Foods on May 15 for its use in laddu preparations. The company delivered four batches of ghee between June 12 and July 6. These initially passed traditional quality checks but were not examined for adulteration then.
The issue came to light as TTD received numerous complaints from devotees about the poor quality of laddu prasadam.
This prompted the temple management to conduct a more detailed investigation by sending the received ghee samples to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for a comprehensive testing.
The NDDB results reportedly revealed the presence of foreign fats in the ghee, including animal fat.
Following these findings, TTD issued show-cause notices to AR Dairy Foods on July 22, 23 and 27, seeking an explanation. However, the dairy company denied any wrongdoing. It issued a statement on Sept 4, rejecting any adulteration.
Despite the AR Dairy Foods’ denial, TTD has decided to blacklist the company and shift its ghee procurement to the Karnataka Milk Federation and the Alpha Dairy to ensure the quality of the laddu prasadam.
The reports about use of adulterated ghee sparked political tensions, with chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu putting the blame on the previous government led by the YSRC, alleging negligence in handling the matter.
In response, former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Naidu of using the situation for political gain and spreading misinformation.
The Naidu-led government has set up an SIT, headed by Police IG, Sarvashresht Tripathi, for a thorough investigation into the case.
The complaint, lodged with the Tirupati East police on Wednesday, comes after the recent row over use of substandard ghee for prasadam preparations at the Tirumala temple.
TTD executive officer, Syamala Rao, recently said four tanker loads of ghee supplied by AR Dairy had been rejected due to suspicions of adulteration. He said criminal charges might be filed in the matter.
According to the complaint lodged by TTD general manager for procurement, Muralikrishna, the temple had placed an order for 10 lakh kg of ghee with AR Dairy Foods on May 15 for its use in laddu preparations. The company delivered four batches of ghee between June 12 and July 6. These initially passed traditional quality checks but were not examined for adulteration then.
The issue came to light as TTD received numerous complaints from devotees about the poor quality of laddu prasadam.
This prompted the temple management to conduct a more detailed investigation by sending the received ghee samples to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for a comprehensive testing.
The NDDB results reportedly revealed the presence of foreign fats in the ghee, including animal fat.
Following these findings, TTD issued show-cause notices to AR Dairy Foods on July 22, 23 and 27, seeking an explanation. However, the dairy company denied any wrongdoing. It issued a statement on Sept 4, rejecting any adulteration.
Despite the AR Dairy Foods’ denial, TTD has decided to blacklist the company and shift its ghee procurement to the Karnataka Milk Federation and the Alpha Dairy to ensure the quality of the laddu prasadam.
The reports about use of adulterated ghee sparked political tensions, with chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu putting the blame on the previous government led by the YSRC, alleging negligence in handling the matter.
In response, former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Naidu of using the situation for political gain and spreading misinformation.
The Naidu-led government has set up an SIT, headed by Police IG, Sarvashresht Tripathi, for a thorough investigation into the case.