Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 3 (IANS) The controversy over the alleged irregularities in the supply of ghee to Kerala’s revered Sabarimala temple took a fresh turn on Monday, with state government cooperative Milma strongly denying any role in the episode and questioning how the alleged tampering could have gone unnoticed until now.
The latest row comes close on the heels of the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case, in which around 15 officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board and others were arrested, adding to concerns over the handling of temple assets and offerings.
Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF) , or Milma, as it is popularly known, Chairman K.S. Mani dismissed reports linking the dairy cooperative to the alleged ghee scam as baseless and asserted that no adulteration or manipulation had taken place in any ghee supplied by Milma.
He said every batch of ghee sent to Sabarimala was tested at the state laboratory and dispatched only after meeting prescribed quality standards.
According to him, the Travancore Devaswom Board has never officially informed Milma that the quality of its ghee was found to be deficient.
Mani maintained that if any irregularity had occurred, Milma had no role in it.
He also raised the possibility that outside traders could have been involved and warned that strict legal action would be initiated if Milma’s name, logo, or emblem had been misused.
Questioning the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident, the Chairman asked why any replacement of ghee during transit from Pathanamthitta to Sabarimala had not been detected at the inspection point at Pampa.
He also sought to know why the temple authorities had not immediately informed Milma if they had noticed any discrepancy.
The Milma chief said the cooperative would extend full cooperation to the ongoing investigation.
At the same time, he made it clear that if any Milma official was found to have been involved, stringent action would follow.
Despite the controversy, Mani claimed that the sale of Milma ghee had remained unaffected.
He said a decision on ordering an internal inquiry would be taken after receiving a report from the Managing Director of the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Union.
With investigations now focusing on another sensitive issue involving Sabarimala, the spotlight has once again turned on the systems meant to safeguard the affairs of one of the country’s most revered pilgrimage centres.
