Kerala minister Bindu Krishna says the regional union’s governing body has been dissolved, with a departmental probe nearing completion and the contractor’s role under investigation
Kerala Dairy Development Minister Bindu Krishna on Friday said alleged irregularities in the supply of ghee to the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala had resulted in a loss of Rs 75.5 lakh to the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union (TRCMPU).
TRCMPU is one of the three regional unions operating under the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, popularly known as MILMA.
Responding to questions during Question Hour in the state Assembly, Krishna said the union’s governing body had been dissolved following the allegations, while a departmental investigation was nearing completion. She said the losses primarily arose from the supply of ghee at Rs 510 per litre against a wholesale price of Rs 552 per litre.
“Several allegations had surfaced in connection with the issue. As the irregularities were serious, the regional union was dissolved. A departmental-level investigation is under way and is in its final stage,” Krishna said.
The minister said all relevant documents had been submitted to the Vigilance Department as part of the investigation. The role of the contractor responsible for transporting ghee to Sabarimala was also under scrutiny. Krishna said the Dairy Development Department would take strict action against those found responsible and introduce a monitoring system covering the entire supply chain, from production to delivery at the temple, to prevent similar incidents.
Separately, Minister K Muraleedharan said the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had informed the government that it would conduct quality tests on ghee at Pamba before transporting it to the Sabarimala temple complex from the 2026-27 pilgrimage season.
The developments follow allegations that MILMA supplied substandard ghee and discrepancies existed in the quantities delivered to Sabarimala during the 2025-26 pilgrimage season. The state government had recently ordered an investigation into the matter. A Special Investigation Team constituted by the Kerala High Court has also registered a first information report (FIR) as part of its investigation into alleged irregularities in the procurement and supply of MILMA ghee to the Ayyappa temple.
