Irregularities galore in TTD

Tirupati : As the churning is on to cleanse TTD at Government level, Bhanu Prakash Reddy of BJP who has been in the forefront in exposing various irregularities and has been fighting legal battle against the previous YSRCP government on several issues suggested that the Government enter into an MoU with milk federations of AP, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for purchase of cow ghee on cost to cost basis.

Speaking to Hans India, Bhanu said that this would ensure purity as they are all cooperative federations and the quality could be tested by the proposed lab to be set up at Tirupati and also by FSSAI. Bhanu said it was not just the issue of adulterated ghee but now doubts were being raised if there were forces like some non-Hindu organisations which were behind the sacrilege that took place in manufacture of prasadam and other irregularities that took place in the TTD during the five-year regime of YSRCP government-led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

He said the first mistake committed by TTD under YSRCP was to have a jumbo TTD of 81 members. As per TTD rules the board should have 24 members plus 31 ex-officio members. He said he approached the High Court and the court suspended 52 members.

Referring to the statement of Jagan that he had taken more care than constituting his cabinet in selecting board members and appointing a ‘Super Swamy’ Y V Subba Reddy as chairman, the BJP leader said that one of the board members Sarat Chandra Reddy was involved in liquor case. He said cases against Karunakar Reddy and YV Subba Reddy should be filed and probe should be initiated.

He said in 2020 the TTD proposed to invest Rs 5,000 crore in government bonds promising 2 per cent higher interest rate than FDs. He said he approached the court and government had to withdraw the decision. Similarly, he got order from the High Court to stop the demolition of TTD Padmavati Nilayam from being converted into District Collector office but TTD went to Supreme Court and got favorable decision promising to pay Rs 1 lakh per month as rent but did not pay even a single rupee he said.

It even demolished the choultries which had a life of another 35 years and constructed Srivani Trust building for the sake of commissions. He said the then TTD chairman Karunakar Reddy took commission of 10% to 15 % for sanctioning engineering works to the extent of over Rs 1,500 crore. This issue is now under the probe by state vigilance, he said.

Bhanu said the TTD also wanted to give one percent of the TTD funds to the Tirupati Municipal Corporation but was stopped by the high court. However, Karunakar Reddy got a sanction from the board to give Rs 100 crore per year to municipality for sanitation works. His son was the mayor at that time, he added. He demanded the government to order a thorough probe into all the irregularities and see that all involved in it get stringent punishment.