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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been...

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been reduced to an annual ritual of tree-planting drives and clicking selfies for social media, though 90 pc of the saplings don’t survive even a day. “Only the government knows where those trees really are,” said Raj sternly. He recalled a "Blueprint of Maharashtra’s Development" he had proposed in 2015, in which he advocated how development without environmental sensitivity is hollow. Justifying, he said that the consequences are visible where roads, bridges and infrastructure projects are hailed as achievements, but even a short spell of rainfall can paralyze entire cities. Referring to recent reports on farmers returning from the fields after 10 am due to the scorching heat, Raj said that the worsening climate crisis has become an everyday reality. Citing official statistics, Raj claimed that extreme heat has caused productivity losses of nearly USD 159 billion and slashing of 160 billion work-hours annually in recent years. He mentioned the World Bank estimates that India’s GDP could plummet by 2.5-4.5 pc while 57 pc of the country’s districts sheltering 76 pc of the population stare at serious climate-related crises. Taking a swipe, he said while the governments boast about growth figures and economical rankings, they are silent on the staggering costs of environmental destruction. He questioned the development model “whether flooded cities, washed-away crops and unbearable summers” genuinely indicate progress. Claiming that Maharashtra was increasingly becoming unliveable for upto 8 months in a year, he said excessive monsoon rains disrupt rural life and urban floods cripple cities, while extreme heat make normal life a torture in summers in both urban-rural areas. Targeting the Centre, Raj alleged that nearly 173,984 hectares of forest lands were diverted in the past 11 years for mining and infrastructure projects to benefit the PM’s single favourite Adani Group. He said that these lands amount to 1,730 sqkm, or equivalent to the area of 16 Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) that is spread over barely 104 sqkm. Dissolve state wildlife board: Aaditya Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray has accused the Maharashtra government for issuing a permit to carry out mining activity in the sensitive tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhari and Indravati sanctuaries housing the big striped cats. In a strongly-worded letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Member-Secretary Sanjay Kumar, Thackeray sought his immediate personal intervention, sacking the Maharashtra State Board for Wild-Life (SBWL), revoking the permit, and probe against the Chief Wildlife Warden & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) M. Srinivasa Reddy for the alleged lacunae. Aditya’s two-pager says the permit has been granted for “scientific exploration and excavation/systematic recovery of low-grade iron ore in existing mines in villages Hedri, Bande, Parsalgondi and Round Parsalgondi, in the Etapalli taluka of Gadchiroli district”. Last January, Aditya – MLA from Worli – had first raised the issue saying that the proposed mine would create only 120 jobs, including 32 permanent, and the estimated output is pegged at 1.1 million tons in a year. Referring to two letters of Reddy – on April 28 and May 21 – the SS (UBT) leader claimed that in communications to the state government, the PCCF had changed his stance on the issue. Aditya said that in the first letter, Reddy had effectively opposed the government plans for mining activity but in the second letter, he took a somersault, ostensibly due to government pressures or some commercial interests, “the U-turn is disgraceful and detrimental to India’s national interest” – and this abrupt shift in stance must be investigated thoroughly. In view of the contrary stance of the PCCF Reddy, entrusted with protecting the wildlife but failing to defend the NTCA and NBWL, point to serious malfunctioning of the SBWL, and hence it must be dissolved, besides reviewing all its decisions in the past three years, particularly those pertaining to hazardous activities in sensitive areas, demanded Aditya. 444 tigers roam in 11,000 sq.km As per the Status of Tiger Report (2002), and the Maharashtra Economic Survey 2025-2026, the state boasts of 444 tigers prowling in the wild along with other menacing creatures. The state’s total protected wildlife network of 88 Notified Areas of National Parks, Sanctuaries, and Conservation Reserves - including 6 dedicated to the striped big cats – is spread over 11,092 sq. kms as per current data.

Fall of Latur’s ‘M Sir’

How CBI breached Shivraj Motegaonkar’s unscathed coaching empire

Mumbai: For over two decades, Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, affectionately and fearfully known as “M Sir” across Maharashtra’s education hubs, built an empire that seemed untouchable. Today, that aura of invincibility was shattered when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) formally arrested him in connection with the nationwide NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, following a grueling 11-hour interrogation and a raid that recovered leaked exam materials directly from his mobile phone.


Motegaonkar is the founder of Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC), a coaching juggernaut that generates an estimated Rs 100 crore in annual turnover and enrolls upwards of 40,000 students across multiple branches in Maharashtra. But his rise from a humble farmer’s son who cycled across Latur to give private tuitions in the late 1990s, to a coaching baron wielding immense influence, is a story steeped in power, politics, and a history of dancing on the edge of controversy.


Political Linkages

Over the past three decades, Latur transformed from a drought-prone district into the “Coaching Capital of Maharashtra.” Behind this transformation was the ‘Latur Pattern,’ an educational model heavily backed by local politicians across party lines—from the Congress stalwarts who historically controlled the region to the BJP and NCP leaders who later sought a piece of the pie.


Motegaonkar’s RCC institute was at the very heart of this ecosystem. While he rarely took a public political stance, his deep-rooted political linkages were an open secret. During the recent assembly elections he openly campaigned for Amit Deshmukh and was seen with the MLA son of the former Maharashtra CM in public rallies. However, his name is linked with almost every MLA and MP from Latur over past two decades. Elected representatives, municipal corporators, and state-level ministers were frequent chief guests at RCC’s mega-felicitation ceremonies. These connections served a dual purpose: they provided his empire with the bureaucratic lubrication needed to rapidly expand infrastructure across seven districts, and they formed a protective shield whenever whispers of malpractice surfaced. As a major employment generator and an economic anchor for Latur’s hostel, mess, and real estate businesses, Motegaonkar had the silent backing of the local political machinery, rendering him effectively immune to local police scrutiny.


Emerging Unscathed

Before the catastrophic NEET 2026 leak, Motegaonkar and RCC had faced multiple localised controversies, yet he emerged unscathed every time.


In the highly competitive and cutthroat coaching industry, rivals frequently leveled allegations of poaching top students, circulating unauthorised “guess papers,” and colluding with college administrations to monopolize admissions. There were instances in the past where complaints were filed regarding aggressive marketing tactics and the mysterious accuracy of RCC’s preliminary exam papers, which mirrored state board or entrance tests a little too closely.


Yet, these local complaints rarely materialized into strict First Information Reports (FIRs) or legal indictments. Whenever local authorities or rival coaching centers tried to corner him, his political patrons and a formidable legal team would step in. Investigations would stall at the preliminary inquiry stage, witnesses would retract statements, and the narrative would quickly shift back to his undeniable track record of producing top-ranking doctors and engineers. He built a reputation as the “Teflon Man” of Latur’s education sector—no controversy could stick to him.


The Downfall

Motegaonkar’s luck finally ran out when the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak escalated into a national scandal, pulling it out of the jurisdiction of local Latur authorities and into the hands of the CBI.


The investigation revealed that a mock test conducted by RCC contained over 40 questions that exactly matched the actual NEET examination on May 3. Motegaonkar had even confidently posted a video asking his students how many questions from his mock test appeared in the real exam.


On Sunday, a CBI team swooped into Latur, raided the RCC headquarters in Shivnagar, and seized laptops, iPads, and mobile phones. According to the agency, forensic analysis of Motegaonkar’s phone revealed copies of the leaked NEET question papers and answer keys, which he had allegedly received days before the exam and circulated.


The arrest of “M Sir” marks a watershed moment for the Indian coaching industry.

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