Lucknow/Noida, Jan 19: The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday removed the Noida Authority CEO and ordered an SIT probe into the death of the software engineer whose car plunged into a water-filled pit at an under-construction site in Noida’s Sector 150, triggering widespread outrage, protests and allegations of official and developer negligence.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and directed the constitution of a high-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the circumstances leading to the fatal accident and submit a report within five days.
Shortly after, the state government shunted out Lokesh M, a 2005-batch senior IAS officer, from the post of Noida Authority CEO and placed him on a waitlist, according to an official order.
Lokesh M, who had assumed charge as Noida Authority CEO in July 2023 after replacing Ritu Maheshwari, also served as the de facto managing director of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC). A qualified dentist from Karnataka, he had earlier served as divisional commissioner in Kanpur and Saharanpur.
Only a day earlier amid mounting criticism, Lokesh M ordered the termination of a junior engineer and issued show-cause notices to other officials responsible for traffic-related works in Sector 150.
In an official statement, the Authority removed junior engineer Naveen Kumar of the Noida Traffic Cell from service and sought detailed reports on the allotment and construction activities of the developer, Lotus Greens. The now-removed CEO also directed all departments to re-inspect safety measures at ongoing construction sites to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
A UP Irrigation Department letter to the Noida Authority in 2023 that flagged the need to construct head regulators to flush out accumulated rain and drain water in Sector 150 has been accessed by PTI. A Noida Authority official said he was not aware of the letter.
On the chief minister’s directions, a three-member SIT headed by Additional Director General (ADG), Meerut Zone, Bhanu Bhasker, has been constituted. Meerut Divisional Commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar and Public Works Department Chief Engineer Ajay Verma are members of the panel.
“The team has been asked to conduct a detailed investigation and submit its report to the chief minister within five days,” an official statement said.
SIT member Ajay Verma told PTI that the panel would visit Noida on Tuesday, adding that it was too early to comment on details.
The action follows the death of Yuvraj Mehta, a 27-year-old software engineer, who was killed in the early hours of Saturday after his car allegedly skidded in dense fog, broke a drain boundary and fell into a deep, waterlogged pit dug for a basement at an under-construction commercial site near a drain.
Mehta, a resident of Tata Eureka Park society, worked with a Gurugram-based company and was returning home late at night when the accident occurred.
His body was recovered after a prolonged search operation involving the fire department, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The post-mortem examination conducted on Monday revealed that Mehta died due to asphyxia followed by cardiac arrest, police said. The report noted that his nose was blocked with mud and water, indicating drowning. His last rites were performed later in the day in Haridwar in the presence of his father Raj Kumar Mehta and other family members.
The incident has sparked allegations of negligence, inadequate safety arrangements and delays in rescue efforts, with his father saying he had reached the spot and police, other rescue personnel were also there but they could not save him.
“If expert divers could have gone in, then maybe my son would have been saved. Yuvraj kept crying for help as the car drowned,” he lamented while speaking to reporters.
An eyewitness, Monidra, a delivery agent, alleged that timely intervention could have saved the techie. Local residents staged protests over the weekend, accusing authorities and developers of ignoring repeated complaints about waterlogging, lack of barricading and absence of reflectors near the drain and construction site.
Police have registered an FIR against two real estate developers — M/s Wishtown Planners and Lotus Greens — under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 106 (causing death by negligence) and 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR was lodged at Knowledge Park police station on a complaint by Mehta’s father. (PTI)
