Noida: Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M. has been removed from his post and placed on the waiting list following the death of a 27-year-old software engineer who fell into a water-filled ditch in Sector 150.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident and ordered a high-level probe.
Acting on the Chief Minister’s directions, the state government has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine the circumstances leading to the death of Yuvraj Mehta.
The SIT will function under the supervision of the Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Meerut Zone, and will include the Divisional Commissioner, Meerut, and the Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD).
The SIT has been directed to complete the probe and submit its report to the Chief Minister within five days.
Meanwhile, the post-mortem report has revealed that Mehta died due to asphyxiation, with heart failure or cardiac arrest listed as a contributing factor. Police officials said the findings suggest that cardiac arrest ultimately led to his death.
According to preliminary reports, the incident occurred late Saturday night amid severe cold conditions. Mehta’s car reportedly plunged into a water-filled ditch in Sector 150, where the water was extremely cold. He remained trapped inside the vehicle for a prolonged period.
Sources said Mehta managed to climb onto the roof of his partially submerged car and waited for help for nearly two hours. During this time, his condition deteriorated due to prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, icy water, mental stress and panic.
Police suspect that the delay in rescue operations, combined with hypothermia and anxiety, triggered panic, eventually leading to cardiac arrest. The post-mortem report has cited both suffocation and heart failure as causes of death.
The incident has triggered widespread public outrage. On Sunday, large numbers of local residents gathered at the accident site from morning till late evening, questioning the functioning of the authorities and alleging serious lapses in emergency response.
Residents claimed that despite Mehta’s repeated pleas for help, no timely or effective rescue operation was carried out. While officials from multiple departments reportedly reached the spot, locals alleged that their response was largely “formal and superficial”.
The tragedy has also brought the Noida Authority’s alleged negligence under scrutiny. Residents of Sector 150 said they had repeatedly warned the authority about safety hazards in the area prior to the incident.
According to locals, multiple written complaints were submitted seeking the installation of speed breakers and reflectors, covering of open drains, drainage of waterlogged plots near the accident site, and improvement of street lighting and sanitation. Complaints were also lodged on the IGRS portal, and letters were sent to various departments.
However, residents alleged that Work Circle-10 shifted responsibility to the Noida Authority’s Traffic Cell, resulting in inaction. Even letters written by Dadri MLA Tejpal Nagar and Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, urging immediate safety measures, reportedly failed to elicit a response.
(IANS)
