Chhattisgarh: Food inspector’s plan to retrieve Rs 1 lakh phone from reservoir gets him suspended; here's why

A government official in Chhattisgarh has been suspended after reportedly removing 21 lakh litres of water from a reservoir to recover his expensive smartphone. Rajesh Vishwas, a Kanker district food officer, said that he had verbal approval from his superior to carry out this bizarre step.

After learning about the incident, the Office of Superintendent Engineer has ordered that the cost for water wasted should be deducted from the salary of SDO RK Dhivar, the official who allegedly gave verbal permission to empty 3-4 feet of water.

This incident happened when Vishwas went on a vacation at the Kherkatta Dam and accidentally dropped his smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S23 phone worth Rs 1 lakh, into the reservoir while clicking a selfie.

Despite the fact that the phone had fallen into 15 feet of water, residents volunteered to assist him in retrieving it. However, their attempts were useless due to the reservoir's rocky surface.

Vishwas then contacted the Irrigation Department and discussed options for retrieving his drowned phone. 

Vishwas, who decided not to give up, took matters into his own hands and used two 30 hp diesel pumps. For three days, these pumps ran continuously, removing an incredible 21 lakh litres of water from the reservoir. To put this figure in context, it is enough to irrigate 1,500 acres of agriculture. It's worth mentioning that the area has a water level of more than 10 feet, even in the summer, when it's a useful resource for both humans and animals.

After receiving a complaint, an officer from the Irrigation and Water Resource Department arrived on the scene to investigate the unauthorised draining of the reservoir. The operation was quickly stopped, but by that time, the water level had decreased by six feet. Approximately 21 lakh litres of water had been drained out in vain.

Vishwas explained his actions by claiming that his phone had official departmental data that needed to be retrieved. "I went to the dam on Sunday with a few friends to take a bath there on my off day. My phone slipped into the overflow tankers, whose water is not usable. It was 10 feet deep. Locals tried to find it but failed," he explained. Vishwas said that a water resources department officer granted him permission to drain the water, claiming that it was not being used for any reason.

As per the show-cause notice issued to the SDO, the food inspector had asked for verbal approval from him for the purpose. Giving verbal approval to release water without getting prior permission from top officials is considered misbehaviour, the report said.

In a clarification, the water resources department official said that he had only permitted the draining of up to five feet of water. The amount extracted was much in excess of the permitted amount, resulting in a major loss of a precious resource.

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