Noida techie’s death: 20 depts in Ghaziabad flag unsafe drains and pits

Officials said that reports were submitted by the Ghaziabad Development Authority, municipal corporation, and other local bodies and agencies

Ghaziabad: From unsafe open drains to dug-up basements, different departments in Ghaziabad have identified and submitted their reports about risk-prone locations to the district magistrate office, officials said on Wednesday.

Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravinder Kumar Mandar had directed all departments on January 21 to identify and submit a report of different risk spots in the district by January 27, days after a software engineer Yuvraj Mehta’s died in a water-filled unmarked and unfenced water pit in Noida Sector 150 on January 17. (HT Photo)

Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravinder Kumar Mandar had directed all departments on January 21 to identify and submit a report of different risk spots in the district by January 27, days after a software engineer Yuvraj Mehta’s died in a water-filled unmarked and unfenced water pit in Noida Sector 150 on January 17.

“We have about 20 departments that have submitted their reports about the presence of risk spots in their jurisdiction areas. The reports are being analysed and compiled. An initial analysis of the reports indicates that a more comprehensive ground-level assessment was needed and more risk-spots could have been added. So, we have asked them to provide more detailed reports by January 31,” Saurabh Bhatt, additional district magistrate (ADM - finance and revenue) and nodal officer of the district disaster management authority (DDMA) told HT.

Once the final reports are submitted and compiled, the agencies will be asked to take up rectification measures, he said. “In the meantime, they have also been asked to take immediate remedial measures at high-risk spots wherever needed.”

Officials said that reports were submitted by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), municipal corporation, and other local bodies and agencies.

NK Chaudhary, chief engineer of the municipal corporation, said, “We submitted a report of about 42 risk locations where our teams found open and unfenced drains, which could pose safety concerns. We intend to take up rectification measures, but major works would require funds.”

The corporation has identified some major open drains that do not have walls for safety. These include the ones at Sanjay Nagar, Raj Nagar, Raj Nagar District Centre, near Santosh Medical Hospital in Vijay Nagar, in Kaila Bhatta in city zone, in Shastri Nagar and Kavi Nagar, in Indirapuram, Vaishali sector 5, and Shaheed Nagar, among others.

Likewise, of the eight zones, GDA officials said that they had surveyed only three zones so far.

In zone 1 of Raj Nagar Extension, the GDA in its report has identified four locations where the developers have either dug up pits for drainage or have dug up pits for construction purposes. In zone 4, it has served a show cause notice to a developer in Pratap Vihar for digging up a basement.

In Niti Khand in Indirapuram in Zone 6, the GDA stated that they lodged an FIR on January 14 against the concerned people for digging up the basement at the site and had earlier served notices for stopping the works in November and December months of 2025.

“A survey for the rest of the zones is being taken up, and a report will be submitted to the district magistrate office. In two zones, no such risk spots were identified. The developers have been directed to get the pit areas barricaded and take up safety measures,” said GDA secretary Vivek Mishra.