NOIDA: The death of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, whose SUV plunged into a water-filled pit near ATS Le Grandiose in Sector 150 in Noida on Saturday, was not just an accident, but a tragedy that could have been avoided.Residents of Sector 150 say the danger was well known and ignored, pointing out that a similar mishap had occurred at the same spot days earlier, exposing a pattern of negligence rather than an unforeseen lapse.
Barely 10 days earlier, a truck had rammed into the same damaged boundary wall abutting a deep, water-filled pit. The truck driver survived — “saved in the nick of time” — but no permanent repairs were carried out. “No repair work was done even after that. The Vitara ploughed through the same broken wall. The incident could have been avoided,” a resident said, pointing to what many now call a chilling case of administrative neglect.Acting on the incident, the authority has terminated the services of a junior engineer and issued show-cause notices to other officials responsible for traffic-related works in the area.In an official statement issued late Sunday night, the authority said its Chief Executive Officer, Lokesh M, had ordered strict action and directed the immediate termination of junior engineer Naveen Kumar of the Noida Traffic Cell. Show-cause notices were also issued to other officers and employees responsible for traffic management in and around Sector 150. The CEO further sought detailed reports from the concerned departments regarding allotment and construction activities of the developer, Lotus, and ordered a comprehensive review of safety arrangements at the site.Pit dug for mall projectThe accident occurred around 12.30am when Yuvraj, a resident of Tata Eureka Park society in Sector 150, was returning home from work. Driving his Grand Vitara through dense fog and poor lighting, he negotiated a sharp turn near ATS Le Grandiose when the SUV crashed through a damaged boundary wall and plunged into a pit excavated for the basement of an under-construction commercial project.The pit, residents say, had been dug nearly two years ago for a mall project and left uncovered. Over time, sewage discharged from nearby societies accumulated there because of restrictions on releasing water into the Hindon river, turning it into a deep, stagnant water body.An FIR later noted that there was no barricading or reflector around the plot. “There was serious negligence on the part of the builders,” the FIR said.Fight to surviveYuvraj, who did not know how to swim, managed to escape the sinking vehicle and climb onto its roof. Standing there in the freezing water and thick fog, he repeatedly flashed his mobile phone’s torch, crying out for help. He also called his father, Raj Kumar Mehta, and shared his WhatsApp location.Raj Mehta, a retired State Bank of India director, rushed to the spot within minutes and dialled 112. But visibility was so poor that even those standing at the edge of the pit could not locate Yuvraj, though they could hear his cries.A senior official involved in the rescue described the operation as almost blind. “We could only see a thin ray of light, likely from his phone,” he said. Another official added that teams “could not see even 10 metres” because of the dense fog.Rescue that fell short — again and againPolice first tried to reach Yuvraj by throwing a rope, while teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were alerted. The rope failed to reach him. Firefighters then attempted to use a crane, which also fell short. Ladders followed, but the distance remained too great.Assistant commissioner of police Rajeev Narayan Mishra said police coordinated with emergency services immediately. “As soon as information about the incident was received, the local police coordinated with the fire brigade and ensured that all necessary equipment was arranged. At that time, visibility was almost zero,” he said.Police maintained that the depth of the water, combined with cold and foggy conditions, severely hampered rescue efforts. “We made all efforts to rescue him. But due to the depth of the water collected in the plot, it was difficult to save him in the darkness and dense fog,” an officer said.Sources said the SDRF team reached first but lacked equipment suitable for a nearly 30ft-deep pit. The NDRF was then called from Ghaziabad, but fog delayed their arrival further.By around 1.45am — nearly an hour and a half after the car fell — Yuvraj’s cries fell silent. His body was eventually recovered around 4.30am after an over five-hour search operation.‘I jumped in myself’: Eyewitness alleges fatal delayMoninder, an online delivery worker who happened to pass by, said he reached the site around 1.45am and accused the administration of a delayed response. Hearing Yuvraj’s cries, he tied a rope around his waist and jumped into the freezing water.“I searched for the youth and his car for around 30 minutes,” Moninder told reporters. “Yuvraj kept pleading for help. The administration is responsible for his death.” He claimed rescue personnel were initially reluctant to enter the water because of the cold, poor visibility and the presence of iron rods at the construction site.Moninder also alleged that he was later told that “if help had reached 10 minutes earlier, the techie could have been saved”. He said the same ditch had witnessed another accident earlier, when a truck driver was rescued by locals using ropes and a ladder.Yuvraj’s friend Pankaj Tokas echoed the allegation. “He was screaming at the top of his voice for help while standing on the car’s roof. The cops who went initially said they could not swim. Cranes were called but no one entered the water to save him,” he said.Police, however, rejected allegations of negligence. Mishra said police and fire department teams deployed a crane, ladder, makeshift boat and searchlights, but visibility was near zero.Father’s last conversationRaj Kumar Mehta recounted his final moments of contact with his son, demanding accountability for what he called gross negligence at the site.“I spoke to him shortly before the accident. He told me he was on his way home,” he said. “A little later, he called again in panic and said his car had met with an accident and fallen into a drain. He asked me to come immediately.”When he reached the spot, he called Yuvraj again. “Visibility was very low. Somehow, when I called him, he opened the torchlight of his phone, because of which we could see a faint little light from the water body,” he said. “Police and other rescue officials tried throwing a rope, but to no avail.”He said that if expert divers had entered the pit immediately, his son might have survived. “I kept telling him, ‘Don’t panic, we are trying to help you.’ But I found myself watching helplessly as my son lost his battle to survive,” he said.Protests, FIRs and belated barricadesFollowing the incident, residents staged protests and carried out candle marches, alleging inadequate barricading, lack of reflectors and repeated warnings to authorities that went unheeded. An FIR has been lodged against two real estate developers based on the family’s complaint, while police denied negligence in the rescue operation.In the FIR, Raj Mehta alleged that residents had repeatedly requested the Noida Authority to install barricades and reflectors near the drain, but no action was taken despite frequent accidents.After the protests, the Noida Authority finally installed barricades at the spot.A spokesperson for Lotus Greens said the plot had been transferred to Grihapravesh Group with the Noida Authority’s approval in 2019–20.A life cut shortYuvraj Mehta worked as a software engineer with a Gurugram-based company and followed a hybrid work schedule, mostly working from home and visiting the office twice a week. On Friday, he had gone to the office and was returning home late at night amid heavy fog.He lived with his father at Tata Eureka Park. His mother had passed away two years ago. Yuvraj was the family’s sole earning member. His elder sister is married and settled in the UK.As investigations continue and departmental inquiries begin, the contrast could not be starker: a truck driver who survived the same spot days earlier, and a young techie who did not. Between them lies a broken wall, freezing water, dense fog — and a response that came too late.
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