Chhattisgarh: Indian officials fined $640 for draining dam to find phone
An Indian official who made headlines after draining a dam to retrieve a phone has been fined by the government.
Rajesh Biswa has been ordered to pay Rs 53,092 ($642; £519) for pumping millions of liters of water without the authority's permission.
He dropped the device while taking a selfie and claimed it needed recovery as it contained sensitive government data.
But he has been accused of abusing his position.
A food inspector threw a Samsung phone worth around Rs 100,000 into the Kherkata Dam in central India's Chhattisgarh last week.
After local divers got the call, he paid for the diesel pump, Mr. Vishwa said in a video statement shown in the media. The pump ran for several days, emptying thousands of liters of water, but by the time the phone was found, it was too submerged to work.
At the time, Mr. Vishwa told the media that he had verbal permission from his officials to release some water in a nearby canal, and the official said that it would actually benefit the farmers who would get more water.
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But the officials suspended Mr Vishwa from his post in this incident. And a few days ago, the state irrigation department sent him a letter punishing him for his actions. BCCI has seen a copy of the letter.
It states that Mr. Vishwa wasted 4.1 million liters (880,000 gallons) of water for his personal use and has to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 for releasing the water without permission.
It further said that his action is illegal and punishable under Chhattisgarh Irrigation Act.
The incident caused outrage in the country when it was first reported. Many politicians criticized the officials' actions, saying that the country, which faces water shortages in many areas, could use more water, especially during the summer months.
