Kanker (Chhattisgarh): North Baster Kanker district collector Priyanka Shukla has suspended a food inspector Rajesh Vishwas, who is accused of ordering to empty a water reservoir to recover his mobile phone, worth Rs 96,000. Cabinet Minister Amarjeet Bhagat had assured action into the matter.
On Monday, Rajesh Vishwas, the food officer of Koylibeda block, had visited the Kherkatta Paralkot reservoir, while he was on a holiday. While he was clicking a selfie, his costly cell phone fell into the reservoir. Vishwas spoke to the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the water resources department, who assured him that he would empty the reservoir, which was filled up to 15 feet. The officials of the water resources department reached the reservoir with a 30 HP Pump and started the work to empty the water.
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According to Ramlal Dhivar, SDO of Water Resources Department, he had given a verbal order to empty the water up to five feet, but the water was emptied up to 10 feet. "Permission to empty the water up to five feet was given orally. But they have emptied the water up to ten feet," said Ramlal Dhivar. Officials said that 21 lakh litres of water was drained out for three days and the cell phone was recovered on Thursday. But the cell phone did not even start.
Vishwas has always been in the headlines for his hobbies. He is fond of expensive cars, cell phones and bikes. The officer is no stranger to controversies and was suspended in the past in a case related to ration card irregularities, while he was posted in Kolybeda. After the matter had come to light, the opposition BJP had accused the officer of indulging into dictatorship under the patronage of Chief Minister Bhuphesh Baghel.
Taking a dig at the Congress government, former Chief Minister Raman Singh in a tweet alleged that the officials under the present government were considering resources in the state as their ancestral property. Singh claimed that 1,500 acres of land could have been irrigated with the amount of water that was drained out.
