In an unfortunate incident, a government employee in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district allegedly caused the draining of 41 lakh litres of water from a weir after his mobile phone fell into it. The employee has been suspended for this colossal waste of water during the peak of summer, as reported on Friday.
The incident came to light after the employee, Rajesh Vishwas, a food inspector stationed in the Pakhanjore area of the district, visited the Paralkot reservoir on May 21 for an outing with friends. While attempting to take a selfie, his mobile phone slipped into a waste weir, a channel designed to carry away excess water. Allegedly, Vishwas enlisted the help of local villagers and arranged for diesel pumps to empty the water from the weir until his mobile phone was finally recovered on Thursday.
Upon discovering the matter, Kanker Collector Priyanka Shukla requested a report and subsequently suspended the employee. Additionally, a show-cause notice was issued to the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of the water resources department, RC Dhivar, for purportedly giving verbal permission to drain the water from the weir.
According to the report submitted by the sub-divisional magistrate of Pakhanjore, approximately 4,104 cubic meters, equivalent to 41 lakh litres, of water was discharged from the structure without proper authorization, solely to search for the mobile phone.
The suspension order stated, “Vishwas misused his position to retrieve his mobile phone and, without seeking permission from the competent officer, unnecessarily emptied a significant amount of water during the scorching summer season, which is unacceptable.”
The show-cause notice to Dhivar highlighted that, as per media statements made by Vishwas, the food inspector had sought verbal permission from him for the drainage. Granting permission without proper authorization from higher officials is considered misconduct.
The SDO has been given one day to respond to the notice and has been warned of potential disciplinary action if he fails to comply.
Collector Shukla informed that she has also written to the secretary of the water resources department, urging appropriate action against SDO Dhivar.
Vishwas explained that while attempting to take a selfie, his Samsung Galaxy S23 phone fell into the weir. He claimed that locals present at the site suggested the phone could be retrieved as the tank was only 10 feet deep. When initial attempts to retrieve it failed, they proposed draining the water by 3-4 feet. Vishwas then spoke to the SDO of the irrigation department, who allegedly stated that since the water was not utilized by farmers, it could be emptied. At his own expense, with the assistance of locals, Vishwas proceeded to drain the water by 3 feet, leading to the recovery of his phone on Thursday.
Vishwas asserted that the drained water was directed into a canal, ultimately reaching nearby ponds, and therefore was not wasted.
Senior BJP leader and former chief minister Raman Singh criticized the ruling Congress party, stating that under the Bhupesh Baghel government, officials treated the state as their ancestral property. He highlighted the lack of drinking water arrangements during the scorching summer, with people depending on tankers, while officials wasted approximately 21 lakh litres of water for retrieving a mobile phone.
