Senior official fined Rs 53,000 for draining reservoir to recover phone in Chhattisgarh

Days after a Chhattisgarh food inspector made headlines for draining out 41 lakh litres of water from a weir after his mobile phone fell into it in the state’s Kanker district, the government has fined the senior official of Rs 53,000, for giving the nod for emptying the weir.

According to a NDTV report, R K Dhivar is the man in question. Dhivar, who is the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of water resources department, was sent a letter on May 26 by the Superintendent Engineer of the Indravati project, asking why the cost of wasted water should not be cut from his salary, while also pointing out that water is necessary for all reservoirs to battle the scorching summer.

Food inspector Rajesh Vishwas, posted in Pakhanjore area of the district, had gone to the reservoir for an outing with his friends on May 21 when his mobile phone fell into a weir while taking a selfie.

Vishwas allegedly roped in villagers and got diesel pumps to empty the water reservoir to retrieve his mobile phone.

“The locals present there said that the tank is merely 10 feet deep and the phone can be retrieved. Initially they tried to get it out but failed. They told me that if the water could be emptied by 3-4 feet then they could retrieve the phone. So I spoke to the SDO of the irrigation department who said that since the water is not used by the farmers you can empty it. So I, at my own expense, emptied the water by 3 feet with the help of the local people and then the phone was retrieved on Thursday,” Vishwas claimed.

After the matter came to light, Kanker Collector Priyanka Shukla sought a report in this regard, following which the official was suspended.

The collector had also issued a show-cause notice to Dhivar, for giving the permission.