Chhattisgarh babu suspended for draining out 40 lakh litres of water from dam to get phone, senior officer told to pay for giving permission

In a shocking incident, a Chattisgarh government employee drained water from a reservoir to find his phone that he accidentally dropped in it. Now, the district administration has recommended disciplinary action against a senior official, who allegedly gave permission to pump out water, completely ignoring the wastage of water during a peak summer season.

The incident happened in Chattisgarh's Kanker district. A food inspector named Rajesh Biswas dropped his expensive mobile phone in Paralkot reservoir while he was taking a selfie with his friends. He then pumped out about 40 lakh litres (4014 cubic metres) of water for four days, between May 21 and May 25, from the dam to find his phone. The incident caused a huge controversy, leading to his suspension.

The food inspector then reportedly claimed that he had permission from Water Resources Department official to pump out water from the dam. He further defended himself saying that only 3-4 feet of water were drained and that it would actually help local farmers as the water was drained into their fields.


The Kanker district administration then issued a showcause notice to a sub-divisional officer of the Water Resources Department, RL Dhivar, who allegedly gave verbal permission to pump out water.


SDO RL Dhivar, however, denied any knowledge of the incident and reportedly said in his reply that he immediately shut down the diesel pump and removed it from the site upon receiving information about water being discharged from the reservoir.

However, the district administration found his reply unsatisfactory and has sent a recommendation to the state government for disciplinary action against SDO Dhivar for allowing the pumping out of 4014 cubic meters of water from the Paralkot dam.

"The lack of information received by SDO RL Dhivar despite the continuous pumping of water from the Paralkot Reservoir to Pakhanjoor for four days, and the delayed action taken after receiving the information, indicate a lack of regular monitoring of reservoirs in the area. This reflects negligence and indifference towards official responsibilities," noted the administration while recommending disciplinary action.

According to reports, the district administration has also asked the SDO why the cost should not be recovered from his salary.