Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams (TTD) executive officer Shyamala Rao on Friday confirmed the poor quality of ghee supplied to the temple for making laddus. He said that there was animal fat missed in the ghee. He said that there have been complaints about the quality of laddus from the devotees for the past some time. He said he had discussed with those who are making the laddus. They have also confirmed with him about the poor quality of ghee and laddus, he said.
Stating that he also observed the poor quality of ghee, he regretted that there was no lab for the TTD to test the quality of ghee. The TTD had to depend on outside sources for the testing of ghee. He said that the TTD had never conducted tests on the quality of ghee supplied to the temple.
The TTD EO further said that the contractor was supplying ghee at Rs 411 a kilo, which was very cheap. It was not possible for anyone to supply quality ghee at that price, the EO said. He further said that the contractor had increased the quality of ghee only after the TTD alerted them.
The TTD EO further said that they have sent four tankers of ghee for testing on July 6 to 10 labs in the country. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) laboratory in Gujarat had reported contamination of the ghee, the EO said. The quality of the ghee was just 20 points against the required 100 points, the EO said.
The NDDB lab had reported that there was animal fat in the ghee. The fat of animals like pigs, cows and fish oil was used, the EO said. A committee was formed to take action against the contractor after receiving the report from the NDDB lab, the EO said.
It was for the first time that ghee was sent to the laboratory for quality test in the history of TTD, Shyamala Rao said. He said that they have started action against the contractor and ensure that quality is maintained in the ghee.
