Seven Officials Face Disciplinary Action Over Ghee Adulteration Case
The state government has initiated disciplinary action against seven officials from the Factories and Boilers Department in connection with an alleged Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case, involving bribery and regulatory lapses. This scandal highlights significant ethical and administrative failures in quality control.
Highlights
- •Seven Officials Face Disciplinary Action
- •Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Adulteration Case
- •Alleged Bribery from SIT Findings
- •Common Disciplinary Proceedings Initiated
Tirupati: The state government has initiated disciplinary action against seven officials from the Factories and Boilers Department, following a special investigation team's findings in an alleged Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration scandal. These officials now face scrutiny for their roles in accepting illegal payments while conducting inspections and regulatory duties.
According to Secretary to the Labour Department, Seshagiri Babu, orders were issued on Tuesday framing charges against the officials. The investigation highlighted that these individuals accepted bribes from Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities, despite the company not having sufficient equipment or production capacity to manufacture ghee.
Details of Alleged Corruption
The special investigation team (SIT) revealed financial transactions between officials and representatives of Vyshnavi Dairy. The alleged violations included accepting substantial amounts of money for inspections, issuing clearances, and certifications that should not have been provided without proper equipment or capacity.
Alleged charges against the officials include:
- Former Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories Karri Parameswara Rao: A reported Rs 20,000 was accepted on April 26, 2023 during an inspection.
- Deputy Chief Inspector of Boilers Medicherla Satyanarayana: Received Rs 10,000 and Rs 6,000 on April 18, 2023 for inspections and certification work at the dairy unit.
- Boiler Inspectors MVL Narasimha Raju: Narasimha Raju allegedly received Rs 7,000 on June 9, 2021 for boiler inspection and certification. Former Nellore Boiler Inspector T Sushma also reportedly accepted Rs 10,000 on June 14, 2023.
- Boiler Inspector P Rambabu: Rambabu allegedly collected Rs 15,000 for inspections and certifications of boilers in January 27, 2024.
- Inspector of Factories N Sivasankara Reddy: Reddy is accused of receiving Rs 150,000 from representatives of Sri Vyshnavi Dairy between 2021 and 2023 for inspections, among other roles. Retired supervisor Ramesh Babu allegedly received Rs 6,000 in two installments on December 2021 and November 2023.
The government has ordered common disciplinary proceedings against all the officials mentioned, who have been asked to submit their explanations within ten days. The government will act as the disciplinary authority and conduct a joint inquiry into the allegations of corruption.
