Chhattisgarh official who drained 4.1 mn litres water to find phone gets ₹53,000 bill

Chhattisgarh inspector Rajesh Kumar Vishwas drained out water from the tank that stores overflowing water without permission from the competent authority

RAIPUR : Chhattisgarh food inspector Rajesh Kumar Vishwas, who pumped out 4.1 million litres of water from a reservoir in Kanker district to search for his mobile phone fell, has been told to pay ₹53,092 including a ₹10,000 fine, according to an order issued by the irrigation department.

Chhattisgarh food inspector Rajesh Kumar Vishwas said earlier that his phone slipped from his hands as he preened for a selfie, and fell into the tank that stores overflowing watee (File Photo)

The order said Rajesh Kumar Vishwas drained out water using diesel pumps without permission from the competent authority which was a punishable offence under the Chhattisgarh Irrigation Act.

Vishwas, an inspector at the Kanker district food department, was on a picnic with his friends at the scenic Paralkot reservoir when his Samsung Galaxy S23 phone that he bought for ₹95,000 slipped and fell into the reservoir.

Over the next four days, Vishwas oversaw 4.1 million litres of water being pumped out of the reservoir, meant for irrigation to villages nearby, to retrieve his submerged phone.

The Paralkot reservoir, also known as the Kherkatta check dam, is a mid-sized irrigation project in Kanker district, one of the seven that comprise the Bastar division. Construction began in 1966, and it became functional in 1981, and it irrigates an area of 9,717 hectares.

“For his personal interest, Vishwas wasted 4,104 cubic metres of water (4.1 million litres) for which he has been asked to pay ₹43,092 as per the rate of ₹10.50 per cubic meter of water. A penalty of ₹10,000 has been imposed for evacuating water without permission,” the irrigation department letter said.

Vishwas was unavailable for comment on Tuesday despite repeated attempts.

When news of Vishwas’s gregarious exercise of power first emerged, the official explained the sequence in some detail.

He told HT on May 26 that his phone slipped from his hands as he preened for a selfie, and fell into the tank that stores overflowing water.

“When the phone fell in, locals that were present there told me the tank is only 10 ft deep, and the phone could be retrieved. The villagers first tried to fish it out, but their efforts were in vain. They then suggested to me that if the water could be emptied by three to four feet, they would be able to get it. So I spoke to the sub divisional officer on the phone, who told me that since the water is not in use by farmers, I could empty it. So I emptied it by three feet with the help of locals and diesel pumps and got my phone back,” Vishwas said.

Kanker collector Priyanka Shukla had sought a report on the incident and also issued a show cause notice to Sub Divisional Officer (Water Resources Department) RC Dhivar for allegedly giving verbal permission to drain out water from the structure.