Noida Tech's Tragic Fall: Builder Arrested, CEO Removed, and Questions Raised

Image Source: Internet

A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, lost his life after his car plunged into a 20-foot deep excavation pit in Sector 150 of Greater Noida on Saturday. The pit, filled with rainwater, was part of a construction site for a building's basement. Mehta's vehicle, a Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, was allegedly driven off the road due to low visibility caused by dense fog while he was returning from his office in Gurugram. The rescue efforts were marred by allegations of serious lapses, with the victim's family claiming that the lack of divers led to his death. The officials present at the site were unable to save Mehta, who was alive in the water for nearly two hours, desperately calling for help as people gathered to record videos. An investigation has been launched, and a real estate developer has been arrested in connection with the case. The Noida Authority's CEO has been removed, and a junior officer suspended. The Gautam Buddha Nagar MP has assured that the investigation will reveal the responsible parties, including those who allocated the land, maintained it, and were aware of the risks. A similar incident occurred just weeks before Mehta's death, where a truck driver, Gurvinder Singh, revealed that he fell into a nearby ditch after his truck hit the drain wall and overshot. Singh claimed that the Noida authority asked him to pay a fine for the damage caused to the wall. The UP irrigation department had flagged the need to drain excess water from the pit in 2023, but their warnings were allegedly ignored. The department had directed the installation of regulators in Sector 150 to channelize the excess water into the Hindon river, but a Noida Authority official claimed he was unaware of the letter.