An Indian official who drained a dam to retrieve his phone has been fined and suspended from his job.
The official, Rajesh Vishwas, dropped his phone into the Kherkatta Dam in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh while taking a selfie. He claimed that the phone contained sensitive government data, so he needed to retrieve it.
Vishwas paid for a diesel pump to be brought in, and the pump ran for several days, emptying out thousands of litres of water. However, by the time the phone was found, it was too waterlogged to work.
The authorities were not amused by Vishwas’s actions. They suspended him from his job and fined him 53,092 rupees ($642). They also said that he had wasted 4.1 million litres of water (880,000 gallons), which could have been used to irrigate crops or provide drinking water to people.
Vishwas’s actions have been widely ridiculed in India. Some people have called him a “moron” and a “waster of resources.” Others have joked that he should have just used a waterproof phone case.
The incident has also raised questions about the ethics of government officials. Some people have argued that Vishwas should have been fired, not just fined and suspended. They say that his actions show that he is not fit to hold public office.
Whatever the outcome, Vishwas’s story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of taking selfies. It also shows that even the most powerful people can be held accountable for their actions.
PNN