Sabarimala ghee row: Minister seeks joint labs for stricter quality checks in Pamba
A minister proposes a joint laboratory for strict ghee quality control at Sabarimala temple, following controversy and a probe into alleged adulteration, as Milma denies claims.
A minister proposes a joint laboratory for strict ghee quality control at Sabarimala temple, following controversy and a probe into alleged adulteration, as Milma denies claims.
A minister proposes a joint laboratory for strict ghee quality control at Sabarimala temple, following controversy and a probe into alleged adulteration, as Milma denies claims.
Amid the controversy over the quality of ghee offered to devotees at the Sabarimala temple, Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan on Saturday wrote to the President of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), emphasising the need for stricter quality control.
He proposed the establishment of a joint laboratory comprising representatives from the Health Department, Food Safety Department and Forensic Medicine Department within the hospitals at Sannidhanam and Pamba to facilitate quality control. The proposed arrangement would enable the Food Safety Department to detect adulteration in food items, the Health Department to identify contamination, and the Forensic Medicine Department to ascertain toxicity.
Tens of thousands of devotees offer ghee for preparing 'appam' and 'aravana' at the temple into dedicated collection vessels. This is then transferred into six storage tanks. The Minister has mandated that samples must be taken and rigorously tested each time these tanks are filled.
On every round of testing, three samples would be drawn from each of the six storage tanks. One sample would undergo immediate testing at Sabarimala, another would be sent to a central laboratory jointly operated by the three departments, while the third would be carefully preserved in a freezer for any subsequent action.
In his letter, Muraleedharan called for urgent steps to operationalise the laboratory before the commencement of the upcoming Mandalam pilgrimage season. He urged the Travancore Devaswom Board to allocate the necessary funds for purchasing essential equipment, promptly arrange basic infrastructure, including electricity and water, and extend full cooperation to the departments concerned.
He further underscored that ensuring the health and safety of devotees arriving for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage was a shared responsibility of the State Government and the Travancore Devaswom Board.
The controversy over alleged irregularities in the ghee supplied to the temple stems from a report submitted by Devaswom Secretary Rajamanickam, which prompted the Minister to call for a Crime Branch probe into the matter.
The allegations followed an agreement between the TDB and Milma for the supply of 1.65 lakh litres of ghee during the 2025-26 period. Following the controversy, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was also constituted, based on a Kerala High Court directive, to probe the allegations.
However, Milma has denied the allegations. Its chairman, M S Mani, strongly rejected the claims and welcomed the investigation. He asserted that Milma does not adulterate its products to increase profit margins. Mani also said Milma had not received any communication from the Travancore Devaswom Board regarding any quality issues with the supplied ghee.