Chhattisgarh: A bizarre case of a man draining out nearly an entire dam in search of his lost phone which fell into the water resource was reported from Chhattisgarh. Rajesh Vishwas, a food officer in the Koilibeda block of the Kanker district, accidentally dropped his smartphone while enjoying his vacation at the Kherkatta Dam. In order to get it back, he put pump services at work for three consecutive days and emptied litres and litres of water.
41 lakh litres of water drained out to retrieve smartphone
Earlier, it was reported that about 21 lakh litres of water got drained from the dam by the official. However, a recent report by news agency PTI mentioned it to be as much as 41 lakh litres of water.
A report from the sub-divisional magistrate of Pakhanjore, accessed by PTI, said that 4,104 cubic meters or 41 lakh litres of water was emptied from the structure without permission from the authorities.
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Rajesh's phone slipped while taking a selfie
Rajesh's phone had slipped from his hand and fell into the water while he was trying to take a selfie on the premises, reports mentioned while quoting him as saying, "My phone slipped into the overflow tankers, whose water is not usable."
Officer suspended by District Collector
It was learned that the pumps began draining water on Monday evening and ran until Thursday. However, an official from the irrigation and water resources department rushed to the spot and stopped the process following a complaint in this regard. Rajesh has reportedly got suspended by District Collector Priyanka Shukla on charges of misusing his position and not taking permission from the concerned official.
Here's what the Suspension Order said
"Vishwas misused his position to look for his mobile phone and without seeking permission from the competent officer evacuated water to the tune of lakhs of litre in this scorching summer season which is unacceptable. For the aforementioned act, he has been placed under suspension with immediate effect," the PTI report read quoting the suspension order.
He claimed of having permission to drain dam
Rajesh alleged that the phone had sensitive government data and he has verbally approved permission to empty the water resource. An NDTV report quoted the officer and read, "I called the Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) and requested him to allow me to drain some water into a nearby canal. He said it was not an issue if three-four feet deep water was drained, and would also benefit the farmers."
Phone 'not working'
However, Rajesh allegedly drained out more water than he was permitted. Also, it was noted that the phone had lost its functionality after days of being under deep water.
