Clarion India
NEW DELHI — A government official of Chhattisgarh state has been suspended after he drained more than two million litres of water from a reservoir to recover his lost mobile phone.
Rajesh Vishwas, a food officer in Kanker district, was holidaying near the dam and trying to take a selfie when his phone – worth 100,000 rupees ($1,200) – fell into the 4.5m-deep reservoir, according to media reports.
He had help from divers to search for the phone but after their efforts failed. Then he reportedly ordered two 30 horsepower diesel pumps to run continuously for four days to empty the reservoir.
The water wasted was enough to irrigate more than 600 hectares of farmland.
While the mobile phone was eventually retrieved, it was broken after languishing in deep water for three days.
Vishwas, reportedly told local media that he had gained permission to do so from the water resources department since the water “wasn’t being used for anything.” An official from the department later told journalists that he had given the nod for five feet of water to be drained but up to six feet had been pumped out before the draining was stopped, following a complaint to the department.
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Photo: Kanker District Administration