TIRUMALA: Allegations of large-scale irregularities in the procurement of silk shawls, popularly known as Sesha Vasthram, have rocked the TTD.
The present administration, along with the Trust Board, has lodged a complaint with the State government seeking a probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the CID into what is being described as a Rs 56-crore scam.
According to highly placed sources, the scam involves purchases worth Rs 76 crore made since 2016, with shawls supplied by VRS Apparel Exports, Nagari. These shawls, offered to dignitaries after darshan at the Ranganayaka Mandapam along with prasadam, as part of temple custom.
The TTD Marketing Department has been procuring the shawls since 2015, with prices quoted at varying rates — Rs 2,400, Rs 1,800, Rs 1,600, and Rs 1,400 per piece. At present, the quoted price is Rs 1,389 per shawl.
However, vigilance officials who collected samples from the marketing godown and temple stores sent them to the Silk Board laboratory in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram laboratory in AP. Both reports confirmed that the material was not silk but polyester mixed with a small percentage of cotton.
Officials noted that none of the shawls carried a silk cloth tag, raising further suspicion. The order required 15,000 pieces supply by the same firm.
Based on the lab findings, authorities concluded that the shawls were worth no more than Rs 350–Rs 400 each, while in bulk procurement cost could be as low as Rs 100 per piece.
TTD Chairman BR Naidu “We requested the state government to probe the matter through ACB and CID and report back to the Trust Board for stringent action.” The vigilance report estimates that the inflated procurement led to loss of Rs 54.95 crore. Trust Board has urged action against those responsible for the alleged scam.