TTD officiais go as decoys and buy goods at shops near Srivari Mettu and find traders were overpricing goods including water bottles.

Tirumala: The Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) on Saturday asked traders to sell the products like water bottles, other items to the pilgrims only at the prices prescribed by the TTD.

Following directions of TTD J Syamala Rao and JEO Sri Veerabrahmam, a team of Estate wing officials conducted an inspection at Srivari Mettu in the guise of pilgrims where they noticed malpractices by a few traders.

They purchased a glass water bottle in shop no.3 for ₹50 and on returning the empty bottle, the shopkeeper gave them back only ₹20 instead of ₹30 indicating that goods are being sold at higher prices to the devotees.

The report submitted by the team also noticed that besides selling the glass water bottles at higher rates, the trader was also selling lower quality plastic material water bottles against the norms. The shopkeeper did not also display the  price list of items.

The same trader was already warned earlier for the same malpractises and was fined ₹. 25,000. They warned him that if he is caught for one more time, his shop will be seized and the EMD and Security Deposit would be frozen.

The officers also said the licence of the traders whomsoever cheating the devotees, will also be cancelled if the traders were found violating the TTD tender norms.