TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has flagged a major procurement fraud, alleging that a supplier sold polyester dupattas for ten years while claiming they were pure mulberry silk. The board has referred the matter to the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), saying the trust may have been cheated of crores of rupees between 2015 and 2025.
TTD Flags Serious Irregularities in ‘Silk’ Dupatta Supplies
The alleged scam surfaced after the board, chaired by B R Naidu, asked its vigilance and security wing to verify whether dupattas supplied for donor felicitation ceremonies met tender specifications. These shawls are traditionally presented to donors and VIP break-darshan ticket holders during the Vedasirvachanam ritual at the Ranganayakula Mandapam inside the temple.
The trust periodically purchases large consignments worth several crores, making the quality requirements crucial. The norms mandate that each dupatta must be woven entirely from pure mulberry silk using 20/22 denier yarn in both warp and weft, with a minimum resultant count of 31.5 denier. Each must carry “Om Namo Venkatesaya” in Sanskrit and Telugu, along with the Sanku, Chakra and Namam symbols, and conform to prescribed size, weight and border specifications.
Scientific Tests Confirm Polyester Instead of Silk
Vigilance officials collected samples from fresh stocks in a Tirupati warehouse and approved stocks at the Vaibhavotsava Mandapam in Tirumala. All these dupattas had been supplied by a single firm — VRS Export of Nagari — which has been providing various textile items to TTD for years.
The samples were sent to Central Silk Board (CSB) laboratories in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram for scientific analysis. Both labs confirmed that the material was polyester, not silk. Officials also noted that none of the pieces carried the mandatory silk hologram, a key safeguard against counterfeit material.
Board Resolution Seeks Criminal Action
Following the vigilance findings, the TTD board passed a resolution seeking a thorough ACB investigation. “The tenderer defrauded the temple trust by supplying cheaper polyester material. We have requested the ACB director general to initiate criminal action against all those involved in the scam,” chairman B R Naidu said.
The inquiry further revealed that TTD had already awarded another contract to the same firm for 15,000 dupattas at about ₹1,389 per piece. The firm and its sister concerns together supplied cloth worth nearly ₹54.95 crore to the trust during the 2015–2025 period.
Long-Running Supply Chain Under Scrutiny
The findings have raised questions about how a decade of routine procurement processes failed to flag deviations from tender specifications. The board now expects the ACB probe to determine whether internal lapses, collusion or deliberate oversight enabled the alleged fraud to continue for so long.
The episode follows earlier controversies involving temple supplies, adding pressure on the trust’s procurement and quality-control systems. A detailed investigation is expected to uncover the extent of responsibility across officials, vendors and intermediaries.
