TIRUMALA: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to take action against employees who were found to have leaked details of the TTD's properties, which were later telecast in TV channels. Further, it was also decided to initiate action against the chief editor and a sub-editor of the TTD’s Sapthagiri magazine for publishing a story that was rejected earlier.
TTD joint executive officer (Tirupati) P Basant Kumar on Friday said prior to the TTD Board meeting (on May 27), there were adverse reports in print and electronic media regarding the TTD assets. Later, in the board meeting, it was decided to publish a white paper to bring out the facts. At the same time, a vigilance inquiry was also ordered into the leak of the TTD’s internal reports.
"As we were drafting the white paper, a list containing details of TTD properties were leaked to the media. When inquired, it was found that a couple of officials had leaked them. When they were questioned, the officials claimed that the data was from reports submitted to a court in 2010 and the Assembly in 2014. We have ordered a vigilance inquiry into the incident and action will be initiated accordingly," he said.
Basant Kumar added that when the authorities were dealing with the leak, a distorted article about Kusudu, a mythological character, was published in Sapthagiri.
"Even before the magazine was released, the TTD was faulted in a TV channel. During the departmental inquiry, we found that the article on Kusudu was submitted to the magazine by one S Radhika in 2016-17. However, its chief editor and advisors at the time rejected it stating that it was unfit for publication. However, the same article was published in its April issue, with addition of a few lines in the beginning and end. A photo of a Narayana School student was also published along with the article," he said.
"We have contacted the parents, who said the boy’s photograph was taken by a person who said an article would be published in his name," he added. TTD Board chairman YV Subba Reddy said a departmental action has already been ordered against the officials.