Latur collector issues notice to NEET paper leak accused over irregular school construction

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Latur collector Bharat Bastevad has issued a notice to Shivraj Motegaonkar, an accused in the alleged NEET question paper leak case, over irregularities in the construction of a school building project at Khopegaon village in Latur rural. Moregaonkar has been asked to explain discrepancies in the project coming up within the Khopegaon gram panchayat limits.Motegaonkar has been in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since his arrest. He has been accused of being an active member of the organised gang involved in the paper leak.The notice, issued on May 21, pertains to construction on Gut No. 114 within the Khopegaon gram panchayat limits. Sources said the project is coming up on an eight-acre plot located along a highway, around 10 km from Latur city. The proposed infrastructure reportedly includes a school building and a residential hostel facility for students preparing to reappear for the NEET examination.According to the district administration, since Motegaonkar’s arrest, his activities and properties have come on the radar of the local activists.“After receiving the information, they were verified only to find major discrepancies between the construction area mentioned in the sanctioned building permission map and the construction area reflected in the final demarcation measurement map submitted for layout approval,” a senior Latur official said.The notice warns that if the developer fails to deposit the unauthorised construction compounding fee, further action will follow as per the rules. Officials added that the town planning department had earlier directed submission of revised plans through the Building Plan Management System (BPMS), but the corrected documents were not furnished.Collector Bastevad said further action would depend on the town planning department’s final report and determination of the compounding fee. He said the fee cannot be calculated until revised maps are submitted.The notice also directs Motegaonkar to submit revised construction plans within one month, failing which, action will be initiated under relevant provisions. Bastevad also said similar notices had been issued in multiple cases where discrepancies were detected in construction proposals processed through the BPMS. “This is part of a routine administrative process and not an action targeted at any particular individual,” he said.The move comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Motegaonkar in the NEET paper leak probe, with the latest notice bringing his proposed educational infrastructure project under the regulatory scanner.