An education society based in Latur of Maharashtra will reportedly celebrate the ‘birthday’ of around 5,000 trees planted by it on July 2. The trees were planted on arid land a few years ago, an official with the organization said Friday. , PTI reported.
According to the NES agency report, advocate Ashish Bajpai, secretary of Shri Marwadi Rajasthan Shikshan Sanstha, said that they first planted hundreds of saplings behind Rajasthan Vidyalaya and Raja Narayanlal Lahoti English School on July 2, 2018.
Three years later, another 2,800 saplings were planted there using the Japanese Mayawaki method to create dense foliage, PTI reported.
He added that they will celebrate the “birthday” of the trees on July 2, which has already become an annual celebration. The barren land has become a picturesque, lush green lung that attracts several species of birds, Bajpai said.
Meanwhile, the Latur police investigating the NEET-UG paper leak case have identified Gangadhar Gunde as a common link among the other accused teachers and officers.
Authorities also found that Gunde was in contact with several people in Bihar. However, it is not clear whether these people are students or agents helping students in Bihar with NEET-UG exams.
The police have registered a case based on the information received from the Maharashtra ATS. During their investigation, they discovered four more entrance tickets of NEET students, most of which belonged to students from Maharashtra.
In addition, the police learned of a father who had paid the gang through a bank account last year. The accused had reportedly taken money from this father and promised him help with medical admissions, but failed to keep his promise.
Officials have also found out that the four accused, who have been arrested by the Latur police, have Gunde as their common contact. “So far, it seems that he is the common link between all the other accused, including the teachers who have been arrested,” the officer said.
Gunde, who is a resident of Sangli and currently works at an automobile firm in Gurgaon, was also in touch with several people in Bihar who are suspected to be NEET-UG aspirants or local agents involved in the leak case.
The Bihar links emerged during the initial investigation by the Maharashtra ATS, and officials are trying to verify them with local police, but the CBI is already taking over the case.
(with input from PTI)
