Sabarimala Ghee Tractor Transport Records Missing; SIT Launches Detailed Probe
Thiruvananthapuram: Serious questions have been raised over the transportation of ghee to Sabarimala Sannidhanam after the Devaswom Vigilance found that there are no supporting records to establish that the ghee received at Pampa was transported to Sannidhanam by tractor. While the Pampa ledger records the transport of the ghee to Sannidhanam, officials in charge of the Pampa store have failed to produce the mandatory supporting documents before the Devaswom Vigilance.
The finding has prompted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to initiate a detailed probe into the transport and accounting of the ghee. The Travancore Devaswom Board had procured the ghee from Milma’s Thiruvananthapuram regional unit during the last pilgrimage season under a contract for 1.65 lakh litres. An earlier examination of the Pampa ledger showed that only around 1.61 lakh litres had been recorded, raising questions about the handling and transport of the remaining quantity.
The investigation is now examining whether the ledger entry alone can be treated as sufficient evidence that the ghee reached Sannidhanam. According to the prescribed procedure, the transportation of materials from Pampa to Sannidhanam must be supported by detailed records, including the tractor registration number, driver’s name, date and time of the journey, the nature and quantity of the material transported, and a copy of the ₹100 receipt required to be remitted to the Devaswom Board.
However, none of these records relating to the tractor trips reportedly used to transport the ghee could be produced before the Devaswom Vigilance. The absence of such basic documentation has raised concerns over whether the prescribed procedures were followed in handling a commodity procured for use in Sabarimala’s offerings.
The SIT is examining the entire chain of custody of the ghee, from its dispatch from Milma and receipt at Pampa to its entry into the stock register and subsequent transport to Sannidhanam. Investigators are also expected to scrutinise the discrepancies between the quantity procured and the quantity recorded at Pampa, as well as the documentation supporting each stage of the process.
With the ledger entry currently serving as the only recorded indication that the ghee reached Sannidhanam, the lack of corresponding transport and stock records has emerged as a significant point of inquiry. The investigation is expected to determine whether the discrepancies were the result of procedural lapses, inaccurate record-keeping or other irregularities in the handling of the ghee.