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Noida pit that killed techie was flagged in 2023, but the plea went unheard
The UP authorities reportedly wrote to the Noida authority in 2023, directing the installation of regulators in Sector 150 to flush out excess water.
Yuvraj Mehta, the 27-year-old software engineer who lost his life after drowning inside a water-filled pit in Greater Noida, could have been saved, had head regulators been constructed to flush out the excess water. According to news agency PTI, the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department flagged the need to drain the excess water out back in 2023, but the project never materialised.
The state authorities reportedly wrote to the Noida authority two years ago, directing the installation of regulators in Sector 150 to channelise the excess water into the Hindon river.
A head regulator regulates water flow and prevents excess silt in a drain or canal.
The irrigation department's letter, accessed by PTI, not only directed the installation of head regulators, but also said that budgetary provisions had been made for the proposed work. However, when reached for a comment, a Noida Authority official said he was not aware of the letter, the news agency further reported.
It was also reported that water inside the pit was not just because of rain but also because of continuous discharge from drains linked to nearby residential societies.
Amid uproar over the techie's death, locals in Noida's Sector 150 area alleged that had the project had been undertaken, the accumulated water levels in the pit where Mehta drowned wouldn't have been so high, and he could've potentially been saved.
Also Read: Noida techie's death: Autopsy reveals Asphyxia, cardiac arrest behind Yuvraj Mehta's death
The 27-year-old techie met with a tragic accident on Saturday night while returning home from work. Amid dense fog and darkness, his Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara car crashed into a boundary wall of a roadside drain in Sector 150, Noida, and fell into a water-filled pit.
Despite crawling to the roof of the car and pleading for help for around 90 minutes, Mehta couldn't be saved. The failed rescue was later attributed to many reasons, like ropes, cranes and ladders falling short, and fog delaying the rescue teams' arrival.
Meanwhile, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) has reportedly ordered an inspection of roads in the area to identify and promptly fill all potholes on or near roads and to mark accident-prone "black spots".
Also Read: Noida techie's death: FIR on builder firms after man drowns in construction pit
Gautam Buddh Nagar SDM Sadar Ashutosh Gupta has also assured relevant action in the case, and efforts are underway to pull out the techie's car that sank into the water-filled pit.
