Milma Launches Investigation into Alleged Diversion of Ghee Supplied to Sannidhanam and Its Replacement with Low-Grade Ghee
Thiruvananthapuram: Milma, a Kerala-based dairy cooperative has decided to launch an investigation into allegations that ghee originally meant for the Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Swamy temple was diverted and resold, while cheaper and allegedly inferior-quality ghee sourced from Tamil Nadu was supplied in its place.
A five-member committee comprising three members of the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Administrative Board and two senior officials has been constituted to conduct the inquiry. The panel has been directed to submit its report within three weeks.
The decision was taken at the Board of Directors meeting of the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Union, chaired by Chairperson Mani Viswanath on June 29. Earlier, News Media had reported large-scale irregularities in the supply of ghee to the Sabarimala temple.
The investigation committee includes board members T.K. Prafullachandran (Alappuzha), Ajith Singh (Thiruvananthapuram), and K. Animon (Kollam), along with Marketing Head A.J. Wilson and Thiruvananthapuram Dairy Senior Manager R.S. Jesi. Sources indicate that the Vigilance Department has also initiated a parallel inquiry and gathered crucial information. However, the chairperson stated that she was unaware of the formation of the five-member panel.
Under an agreement between the Travancore Devaswom Board and Milma, approximately 170,000 litres of ghee were to be supplied to Sabarimala and Pampa at ₹540 per litre, despite the market price being around ₹720 per litre. Preliminary findings suggest that ghee loaded from Milma dairies was allegedly diverted and sold elsewhere, while lower-quality ghee purchased from Tamil Nadu was delivered to the pilgrimage centres. Such ghee is reportedly priced at no more than ₹350 per litre. It is alleged that nearly 70,000 litres were diverted in this manner.
Further suspicions arose over transportation contracts awarded for delivering ghee from the Pathanamthitta dairy to Sannidhanam and Pampa. Milma awarded the contract at a rate of ₹19 per 15-litre tin, while the second bidder had quoted ₹44 per tin. The significant disparity in rates was viewed as an early indication of possible irregularities.
Allegations have also emerged that the contract was intentionally limited to 50,000 litres to avoid the requirement of conducting an e-tender process, which becomes mandatory for contracts involving 200,000 litres. Critics claim that this move reduced competition by discouraging wider participation.
Notably, the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Union, which had earlier maintained that there were no lapses in ghee supplies during the 2025 Mandala season, has now decided to initiate a formal investigation into the matter.