Preventable tragedy: SIT flags multiple lapses in Noida engineer’s death
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Noida-based engineer Yuvraj Mehta has concluded that the tragedy was preventable and caused by long-standing systemic failures. The team found lapses across multiple departments, including urban planning, road safety, disaster response, and emergency coordination.
New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Noida-based engineer Yuvraj Mehta has stated that the tragedy was preventable and resulted from long-standing systemic failures. According to the team, neglect by multiple departments — including urban planning, road safety, disaster response, and emergency coordination — led directly to Yuvraj’s death.
"The SIT is clear that this was not a freak accident. Multiple systems failed simultaneously — road safety, drainage, disaster response, and command control. Had even one of these worked as mandated, the victim could have been saved,” reports said.
Who are at fault?
Mehta (27) drowned after his SUV plunged into a water-filled excavated pit in Greater Noida’s Sector 15 while he was returning home late on the night of January 16–17. A thick layer of smog, coupled with an unmarked construction site, turned a routine drive into a fatal accident.
After the vehicle fell into the pit around midnight, Mehta managed to escape onto the roof of the submerged SUV. Unable to swim, he repeatedly waved his phone’s flashlight and cried for help. However, no one stopped, and he remained trapped for nearly two hours before succumbing.
The SIT issued more than 22 detailed queries to the Noida Authority, police, traffic cell, fire services, and disaster management authorities. While extensive reports were submitted — approximately 150 pages from the Noida Authority and about 450 pages from the police — investigators said these failed to adequately explain the critical delays in rescue operations.
Did absence road safety turn fatal?
To further the probe, the team has shifted to Meerut for analysis before submitting its consolidated findings to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Administrative and legal action is expected once the final report is reviewed.
One of the key findings highlights the absence of safety measures at the roadwork site. Although the construction activity had official approval, investigators found no evidence of effective monitoring or enforcement. The SIT believes this lapse directly contributed to the accident.
CM Yogi orders high-level probe
Following the investigation, Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M was removed and placed on the waiting list. The SIT has also raised questions regarding District Magistrate Medha Roopam, who heads the district disaster management authority.
Despite chairing a disaster preparedness meeting a day before the incident, she did not take immediate departmental action and visited the site only four days later, along with the SIT. She also did not meet Mehta’s family. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered a high-level enquiry after the incident. The three-member SIT is led by the Meerut Divisional Commissioner, with the ADG of Meerut Zone and the PWD chief engineer as members.