A junior engineer has been terminated in the Noida techie death case as authorities probe alleged negligence in the Sector 150 drain accident that claimed a 27-year-old’s life.
Yuvraj Mehta | Image courtesy: X
Two days after a 27-year-old tech professional died when his car plunged into a drain near Sector 150 in Noida, the Noida Authority has terminated the services of a junior engineer, even as the victim’s family continues to allege serious administrative lapses.
The incident occurred on the night of January 16–17 under the jurisdiction of the Knowledge Park Police Station. The victim’s family maintains that a timely rescue could have saved his life.
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According to Noida Authority officials, further investigation is underway to fix responsibility.
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Responding to questions on administrative accountability, Noida Authority Additional Chief Executive Officer Satish Pal said action had already been taken against one official.
“The services of a Junior Engineer have been terminated by the authorities. An explanation has been requested from him… Further investigation is underway,” Satish Pal said.
He added that the authority is examining whose land the stretch belongs to, who was responsible for its upkeep, and whether maintenance failures led to the accident. The road, he said, falls in a partially developed area.
The deceased has been identified as Yuvraj, a resident of Sector 150, Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar. His body was recovered after a prolonged search operation by SDRF/NDRF teams and sent for post-mortem, police said.
Moninder, a Flipkart delivery agent who entered the drain to retrieve Yuvraj’s body, told ANI that poor visibility due to dense fog and a sharp, unprotected turn proved fatal.
According to Moninder, he reached the spot around 1:40 am while delivering an order. He said the car had fallen into the drain around midnight. The victim remained trapped for nearly 1.5 hours.
“He kept calling for help,” Moninder said, adding that Yuvraj even managed to phone his father, saying, “I’ve fallen into a ditch, please save me.”
Moninder said he tied a rope around his waist and swam nearly 50 metres into the drain, guided only by torch signals from people standing at a distance. By the time he reached the location, the victim had stopped shouting just minutes earlier.
He also pointed out that the turn has no protective wall, making it especially dangerous in foggy conditions.
Speaking to ANI, Yuvraj’s father Rajkumar Mehta accused the administration of failing to act in time.
“My son was struggling to save himself… My son was crying out for help, asking people to help him, but most of the crowd was just watching. Some people were making videos… My son struggled for 2 hours to save his life… The officials and staff present were unable to save him. They did not have any divers… There is negligence on the part of the administration in this entire matter… My demand is that there should be proper action in the case, and full arrangements should be made so that such an incident does not happen again there.”
Police said the car broke through the boundary of the drain at the Sector 150 intersection and fell into the water amid near-zero visibility caused by fog.
Joint Commissioner of Police Rajeev Narain Mishra called the incident “very tragic” and said rescue efforts were launched immediately using fire brigade ladders, cranes, searchlights and a makeshift boat, with SDRF completing the operation.
A case has been registered at the Knowledge Park Police Station based on the family’s complaint.
Beyond individual accountability, the case has once again raised questions about road safety, barricading and emergency preparedness in developing sectors of Noida and Greater Noida, particularly during winter fog when visibility drops sharply.
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