After draining an entire reservoir to get his pricey cell phone, an official in Chhattisgarh was fired. Although the incident happened on Monday, it was only discovered on Thursday.
According to the legend, Rajesh Vishwas, a food inspector in the state of Chhattisgarh, went on a trip to the Paralkot reservoir in the Kanker district with his companions. The phone dropped out of his grasp and into the water while he was snapping a selfie with his companions.
To retrieve his phone, the official then gave the order for two pumps to be carried to the reservoir and urged workers to pump out water. Pumping began on May 21 and continued through Thursday, removing 41,000 cusecs, or around 12 lakh liters, of water in the process. Around 1,500 acres of land could have been irrigated using this water.
During the summer, Chhattisgarh already has a water shortage. The government representative could be seen sitting under an umbrella as workmen drained the water in pictures and videos that circulated on social media. Despite receiving his phone back, District Magistrate Priyanka Shukla punished Vishwas for his behavior. The accusation leveled against him is "misusing his position."
The DM also requested an investigation into the situation. Vishwas defended himself by claiming that he had obtained the SDO's approval before directing the pumping. He claimed that the concerned official advised him to get three feet of water pumped out of the reservoir because it was not being used.
"I managed to drain the water into a canal and make it useful. I did nothing wrong, Vishwas insisted.
Vishwas had initially requested assistance from nearby divers who could help him rescue his phone from the reservoir bed, but as their efforts proved unsuccessful, he pulled out this prank.
Once the situation was brought to light, the opposition BJP turned its weapons on the state's Congress administration, which is led by Bhupesh Baghel.
