Milma Rejects Sabarimala Ghee Allegations: Only Original Premium Ghee Was Supplied; No Compromise on Quality
Thiruvananthapuram: Milma has denied any lapses in the supply of ghee to Sabarimala, stating that only high-quality, premium original ghee was supplied to the shrine.
Milma Chairman K.S. Mani said the dairy cooperative, owned by Kerala's milk farmers, never compromises on the quality or purity of its products. He clarified that the ghee supplied to Sabarimala was packed in sealed 15 kg tins at Milma's dairy, making any tampering with the contents impossible before delivery.
According to Milma, the sealed consignments were received at the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) godown by TDB officials, who verified the quality before sending the ghee to Sannidhanam. After the consignments were handed over, the handling, storage, and use of the ghee were entirely outside Milma's control, the Chairman said. He added that the TDB has not informed Milma of any quality issues, and the Board has also made full payment for the supplied ghee.
Milma said it came to know through media reports that inferior-quality ghee had allegedly been used in place of Milma's product. If such an incident has occurred, it is a matter of serious concern, and the cooperative said it would pursue strict legal action if any tampering or fraud is established.
Milma Chairman K.S. Mani said the federation's Managing Director had twice sought an explanation from the Managing Director of the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers' Union (TRCMPU) after the allegations surfaced, but no reply has been received so far. He also reiterated that the Travancore Devaswom Board has not said it will stop using Milma ghee. According to him, the Board's decision is only to stop purchasing ghee from outside, as the ghee offered daily by devotees is sufficient to meet Sabarimala's requirements.
Meanwhile, Milma's TRCMPU has recently come under scrutiny after its Board of Directors was dissolved by the Dairy Development Board over alleged serious financial irregularities.
Dairy Development Department launches detailed probe
Meanwhile, the Kerala Dairy Development Department has initiated a detailed investigation into the controversy.
The inquiry is being conducted by a team comprising Joint Director Sheeba Khamar, Deputy Directors B.S. Nisha and V. Vinod Raj, and Assistant Director M. Fahad. The team has been directed to submit its report within 60 days.
Dairy Development Director Shalini Gopinath said the detailed investigation was ordered after the preliminary inquiry indicated possible irregularities.
The investigation will examine:
* Whether the original ghee sent to Sabarimala was replaced with inferior-quality ghee at Pampa.
* Whether there were irregularities in recording batch numbers.
* Whether the Food Safety Authority had verified the quality of the supplied ghee.
* Whether the ghee, which should have been dispatched in 33 batches, was instead sent in only six batches to avoid inspections.
* Gate pass records of the vehicles transporting the ghee.
* The role of officials involved in the supply chain.
A separate inquiry is also being conducted by the Devaswom Vigilance Superintendent of Police. Travancore Devaswom Board President K. Jayakumar had earlier stated that the probe would also determine whether any Board officials were involved.
Preliminary inquiry finds serious lapses
A preliminary inquiry conducted by Devaswom Secretary M.G. Rajamanikyam into complaints regarding the quality of the ghee found serious lapses in storage, quality assurance, transportation, warehousing, and monitoring of the distribution chain.
Based on the Secretary's report, Kerala Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan directed the Travancore Devaswom Board's Chief Vigilance and Security Officer to conduct a comprehensive investigation and submit a report within one week.