Sabarimala Ghee Scam: Milma Thiruvananthapuram Union Dissolved; Probe Finds Poor-Quality Ghee Supplied to Sannidhanam
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The governing body of the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Union has been dissolved after serious financial irregularities were detected, including the alleged diversion and resale of Milma ghee supplied for Sabarimala temple and the award of an inflated milk tanker contract without inviting tenders for transporting milk from Maharashtra.
The action was taken by Dairy Development Department Director Shalini Gopinath against the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-backed governing body headed by Chairperson Mani Viswanath.
Following the dissolution of the board, Joint Director (Planning) of the Dairy Development Department, Sini Unnikrishnan, has been appointed as the administrator. The government order states that fresh elections must be conducted within six months in accordance with the law, after which the newly elected governing body will assume charge.
Probe Finds Large-Scale Corruption
According to the inquiry report submitted by the Joint Director of the Dairy Development Department, the scale of corruption and financial irregularities committed by the Regional Union's governing body over the past four years is extensive.
The investigation found that certain members of the governing body allegedly influenced officials to obtain illegal benefits. The board was dissolved immediately and placed under administrative control to prevent any manipulation of decisions or destruction of crucial evidence.
Sabarimala Ghee Scam: Premium Milma Ghee Diverted
Under the official agreement between the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and Milma, 1.7 lakh litres of ghee were to be supplied to Sabarimala and Pampa. While Milma ghee retailed at ₹720 per litre in the open market, it was supplied to the Devaswom Board at the agreed rate of ₹540 per litre.
The inquiry found that the premium-quality Milma ghee dispatched from the dairy was allegedly diverted and sold to private agencies and in the open market before reaching Sabarimala.
In its place, low-quality ghee sourced from Tamil Nadu was allegedly supplied to Sabarimala. The Dairy Development Department found that around 70,000 litres of this inferior ghee, valued at only ₹350 per litre, was supplied to the temple, allegedly cheating devotees.
Milk Tanker Contract Awarded Without Tender
The inquiry also uncovered irregularities in awarding contracts for transporting milk from Maharashtra to Kerala to address Milma's milk shortage.
Instead of inviting public tenders, the contract was allegedly awarded to private tanker operators at inflated rates without following the prescribed tender process.
A cooperative audit found that this irregularity alone caused a financial loss of ₹93.40 lakh to the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Union.
The controversial tanker contract was awarded during the tenure of an administrative committee convened by N. Bhasurangan, former president of the Kandala Cooperative Bank and former chairman of the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Union, who was later arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Kandala Cooperative Bank financial fraud case. K.R. Mohanan Pillai and V.S. Padmakumar were the other members of the committee at the time.