The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team on Tuesday evening, January 20, recovered a vehicle with the help of boats and divers, in which deceased engineer Yuvraj Mehta had drowned on January 16. The vehicle identified as the Grand Vitara was fished out after four days of inicident from Sector 150 of Nodia, where divers were deployed to recover the drowned vehicle.
A 27-year-old software engineer tragically lost his life after his vehicle plunged into a water-filled construction pit in Noida during conditions of dense fog. The incident, which has sparked widespread public outrage, has led to the immediate removal of the Noida Authority CEO by the Uttar Pradesh government. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has now been formed to investigate the safety failures at the site.
The victim was navigating a sharp L-shaped turn in low visibility when his car veered off the road and into the deep, water-filled pit. Due to a total lack of signage or signals, the accident went unnoticed for several days. It was only four days after the disappearance that authorities located and recovered the submerged vehicle using ropes.
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Site inspections conducted following the tragedy have highlighted a series of "critical safety lapses." Investigations revealed that a boundary wall at the site, which had been broken in a previous accident, was never repaired.
Furthermore, despite the sharp and dangerous nature of the L-shaped turn, there were no barricades, warning signs, or reflectors in place to alert motorists. The lack of these basic safety measures effectively left the deep, water-logged construction zone entirely exposed to traffic, particularly during the heavy winter fog.
The Uttar Pradesh government acted swiftly in response to intense media coverage and mounting pressure from the public. In a significant administrative shake-up, the CEO of the Noida Authority was removed from their post on Tuesday.
An SIT probe has been officially ordered to determine how such a hazardous site was allowed to remain unprotected. The investigation will examine the role of both the Noida Authority and the contractors involved, looking into why previous warnings and the damaged boundary wall were ignored.