Rs 53,000 fine for official who drained out 41 lakh litres of water from reservoir to retrieve phone
Raipur, May 30: The Chhattisgarh government has imposed a fine of Rs 53,092 on an official who allegedly drained out 41 lakh litres of water from a reservoir to retrieve his mobile phone.
The Water Resources department imposed the fine on Rajesh Vishwas, a food inspector posted in Pakhanjore area of Kanker district, an official said on Tuesday.
Vishwas was earlier suspended after the incident at Paralkot weir came to light.
In a letter to him, the department said he drained out water from the cistern of a waste weir using a diesel pump without seeking permission from the competent authority after his mobile phone fell into it.
This act was illegal under the Chhattisgarh Irrigation Act, it said.
Vishwas wasted 4,104 cubic meters of water (41 lakh litres) for which he has been asked to pay Rs 43,092 at the rate of Rs 10.50 per cubic meter, the letter said.
Besides, a penalty of Rs 10,000 has been imposed for evacuating water without permission, the letter stated.
The official was, thus, asked to pay a total of Rs 53,092 to the department within ten days.
Vishwas had gone to the reservoir for an outing with friends on May 21 when his mobile phone fell into the cistern of a waste weir while he was taking a selfie.
He then allegedly roped in villagers and got diesel pumps to empty the water till the phone was finally fished out on May 25.
After the incident came to light next day, Kanker collector Priyanka Shukla sought a report, following which the official was suspended.
The collector also issued a show-cause notice to the sub-divisional officer of the Water Resources department R C Dhivar for allegedly giving verbal permission to drain out water.
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Ghazipur teen's death: Akhilesh alleges cover-up, likens case to Hathras; BJP hits back
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Uttar Pradesh government over the recovery of a teenage girl's body in Ghazipur, alleging attempts to “change statements” and calling the incident a repeat of the Hathras case.
The BJP has dismissed the remarks as “divisive politics”.
The body of the teenage girl was found under a bridge on the Ganga in the Karanda police station area of Ghazipur district earlier this month.
Sharing a video of the victim's father on X, Yadav said, “Changing statements does not change the truth. Uttar Pradesh has never seen such a weak chief minister, under whose watch poor and helpless victims are pressured to alter their statements."
In the video, the girl’s father can be purportedly heard accusing a village head of intimidation and alleging that stones were pelted when a Samajwadi Party delegation had gone to meet the family.
He also claimed that a police officer was injured while trying to protect him.
On Saturday, however, the victim's father told reporters that he did not want political leaders to visit his home for “political mileage”.
He also said that the district officials have assured him of strict action against the accused and expressed satisfaction with the police investigation.
Raising a volley of questions, Yadav asked why there was a delay in lodging the FIR in the case, why statements were allegedly altered, and why the victim's family was being “harassed”.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief also questioned the lack of action against those who allegedly pelted stones at the police and raised doubts over the post-mortem report.
“Everyone knows the truth. Whatever the post-mortem report may say, the ground reality is known to everyone in the village,” Yadav said.
He also claimed that the Ghazipur incident mirrored the Hathras case, claiming both involved families from marginalised backgrounds and "dominant elements" as perpetrators.
In Hathras, a Dalit girl was allegedly gangraped on September 14, 2020. She later died at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi on September 29.
Yadav questioned whether “cosmetic action” would ensure justice for the victim's family, as he stressed the need for “social justice” along with the rule of law.
Reacting to the SP chief’s remarks, BJP leader Naveen Srivastava said in a post on X, “You have no faith in the administration, no faith in the post-mortem report, and no faith in the victim's father. You only believe in divisive politics.”
Varanasi Zone ADGP, Piyush Mordia, said the girl had gone missing on the night of April 14, and her body was found about 3 km from her home in the Ganga early the next morning.
Based on a complaint filed by the family, an FIR has been registered, and the main accused has been arrested, the officer said.
Senior police and administrative officials have met the victim's family, Mordia said, noting that the father has sought a speedy trial to ensure strict punishment for the accused.
The officer also said that some “outsiders” attempted to create unrest in the village.
