In Noida’s Sector 150, on the evening of Friday, January 16, 26-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta died after his car fell into a drain. Due to dense fog, he could not see the road clearly and his vehicle plunged into the drain. Because help did not reach him in time, serious allegations of negligence have been levelled against the administration. There were no signboards or warning alerts at the spot. If help had reached Yuvraj in time, he would be safe with his parents today.
The administration’s negligence is further highlighted by the fact that a few days before the engineer’s accident, a truck had also met with an accident at the same location. Late on the night of December 31, the drain was damaged after a truck crashed there. If the drain had been repaired at that time, this fatal accident could have been prevented.
Yuvraj’s car recovered on the fourth day after the accident
On the fourth day after the accident, Tuesday, January 20, Yuvraj Mehta’s car was pulled out of the drain. Efforts to locate the vehicle had been ongoing for a long time, but success came on Tuesday. A video of the car being recovered has also surfaced, showing that the sunroof was open. The car was entangled in bushes, and its bonnet was also open.
It is reported that Yuvraj struggled for nearly two hours to save himself. During that time, he climbed onto the roof of his car and kept appealing for help. He kept shouting, “Help, help,” and used his phone’s torch to signal his location, but assistance did not reach him in time. This may be why the car’s sunroof was found open.
The truck accident also happened due to fog
This makes it clear that there was negligence on the part of the concerned officials of the Noida Authority, because even on the day of the truck accident, police were seen in a video from the spot. The truck accident also occurred due to fog. The video clearly shows heavy fog, yet there were no signboards or barricades in place.
Authorities even asked the truck driver to pay for repairs
According to media reports, the truck driver’s name is said to be Gurvinder Singh. He said he was fortunate to survive, but wondered how many more people would have to die due to the administration’s negligence. Recalling the day of the accident, Gurvinder said there were neither signboards nor barricades at the site. He thought the road continued ahead, but the front wheels of his truck got stuck in the drain. The truck got stuck around midnight and remained there for the next four hours.
The truck driver said that 2–3 police personnel did come to the spot, but no help was provided. The next afternoon, a team from the Noida Authority arrived and instead asked Gurvinder Singh who would pay for the repair of the broken drain.