The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), renowned as the world's wealthiest Hindu temple trust, has launched a comprehensive clean-up operation targeting its procurement department. This decisive move comes in the wake of a string of embarrassing scandals that have rocked the institution, including the high-profile Laddu ghee adulteration scam, the Parakamani scam, and the silk dupattas scam.
Root of the Scandals: A Department in Need of Reform
Confirming the development to The Times of India, TTD chairman BR Naidu stated that the ongoing investigation by a CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Laddu ghee case and the recent exposure of the silk dupattas fraud have made it imperative to strengthen the procurement system with robust checks and balances. The probe into the ghee scandal specifically established collusion between procurement staff and external suppliers, highlighting a deep-seated nexus.
During recent reviews, a critical flaw was identified: several employees had been working in the procurement department for over a decade. This is a direct violation of the management rules that mandate inter-departmental transfers every 2-3 years. "There have been very few transfers in the procurement department, and some staffers here continued to work for more than a decade now," Naidu explained.
Immediate Actions: Staff Overhaul and Policy Changes
In response, the TTD board has initiated a complete manpower overhaul of the troubled department to immediately break the corrupt nexus. BR Naidu further revealed that the board is considering a blanket order to ensure no staffer remains in the procurement wing beyond a fixed tenure of 2-3 years, as deemed appropriate by the administration.
Simultaneously, TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal, who has been conducting a series of reviews, has proposed a significant increase in the department's staff strength. His review uncovered a staggering disparity: the procurement department is operating with the same number of staff approved three decades ago, while its annual budget has skyrocketed.
Budget Boom, Staff Stagnation: A Recipe for Trouble
The figures reveal the extent of the problem. In the late 1990s, TTD's annual procurement budget hovered around Rs 100 crore. Today, that budget has ballooned to nearly Rs 750 crore. Despite this seven-fold increase in financial operations and responsibilities, the human resources managing this massive expenditure have not been augmented.
The TTD administration has identified this severe staff shortage as the fundamental root cause of the vulnerabilities and malpractices within the procurement process. By addressing both the tenure of existing staff and the chronic understaffing, the trust aims to implement notable reforms and restore integrity to its vital procurement systems in the coming days.
