The clip clearly shows how the truck narrowly avoided falling into the water-filled construction ditch. The wall of the drain collapsed after the truck collided with it.
Yuvraj Mehta died after his car collided with a drainage wall and fell into the pit in Sector 150 of Noida. Mehta was returning home from work amid dense fog on Saturday. An eyewitness who was present at the spot at the time of the incident said that a truck also hit the drain and its tyres got stuck on the wall and that he pulled out the driver from the ditch with the help of some locals.
Meanwhile, an old letter has also surfaced in which the Noida authority were warned that if sewer or drain lines are not restored immediately and drain water from the pit is not pumped out, it can result in a “serious mishap”.
Truck driver escaped similar incident
The truck driver, Gurvinder Singh, had alleged that there was no signboard or barricade near the ditch and that when he fell into it after the accident no one from the district administration or police tried to rescue him. The accident took place on the night of December 31.
If cemented barricades or reflective markers had been placed at the site in time, the life of software engineer Yuvraj could have been saved.
Locals are now expressing anger against the Noida authority over negligence and apathy, saying that had they put barricades, reflectors or a signboard at the site following the truck accident, the techie’s life could have been saved.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government provided financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the grieving father of the software engineer. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had previously formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the entire incident and also transferred Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M to a waiting position.
Builder’s old letter to Noida authority surfaces
Amid outrage over the techie’s death, an old letter written to the Noida authority by builder Wishtown Planners Private Ltd (WWPL) has gone viral. The plot, where Yuvraj Mehta died, is registered in the name of WWPL. An FIR has been registered against WWPL, and the accused builder, Abhay Kumar, has been arrested.
The letter, written four years ago, flagged the waterlogging issue near the pit. “We would like to raise our serious concern on the continuous drain or sewer water flowing into our plot owing to collapse of the Noida authority’s sewer and main drain line at 2-3 places,” the letter dated March 14, 2022 reads.
The builder further said that due to the collapse of these lines, the entire sewage and drainage water is flowing into the basement of the plot, causing waterlogging there.
“This can result in a serious mishap and any accident can happen unknowingly, if these sewer or drain lines are not restored immediately and drain water from our plot is not pumped out,” the letter had flagged four years ago.
The letter further stated that the builder has done the required barricading near the plot, but even at some points barricading is collapsing as the road is sinking due to the soil and water pressure. “We are enclosing images of our site and the basement as well. We request you to kindly take immediate action and get it restored or repaired so that any accident or mishappening at our site is prevented,” it had requested the Noida authority in the letter.