In yet another alarming incident, a four-wheeler fell into an open drain in Noida’s Sector 71 in Phase-3 area on Tuesday. The incident occurred in the Basai region, raising fresh concerns about public safety nearly a month after a similar tragedy claimed the life of a software engineer in the metropolis.
The car plunged into the open drain in Basai region in Noida’s Sector 71. Fortunately, the owner of the vehicle managed to escape safely before the situation worsened. Upon receiving information, Noida Police reached the spot and launched a rescue operation. After considerable efforts, the Phase-3 police team successfully pulled the vehicle out of the drain.
The incident comes less than a month after 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta
died in a similar accident in Noida Sector 150. On the night of January 16, Mehta’s SUV crashed through a damaged roadside barrier and fell into a deep, water-filled construction pit excavated for an ongoing project. Dense fog had severely reduced visibility, making the pit difficult to notice.
According to police, the accident took place in the early hours of January 17 when Mehta’s car went out of control and fell into a pit over 20 feet deep. The pit, located near a drain at an intersection under Knowledge Park Police Station in Greater Noida, was filled with water.
A massive rescue operation involving local police, the fire department, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was launched. However, Mehta’s body was recovered several hours later in the morning. Preliminary findings suggested that poor visibility due to fog and possible overspeeding may have contributed to the accident.
Eyewitness Moninder, a delivery agent, had alleged that rescue efforts were delayed and claimed Mehta could have been saved with quicker action. Following public outrage and protests, the Noida Authority terminated a junior engineer from its traffic cell and issued show-cause notices to other officials. Authorities also reviewed safety measures at construction sites and installed barricades at the accident location.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the earlier incident and ordered a high-level probe. A three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the matter.
The latest incident in Sector 71 has once again highlighted concerns over open drains and safety measures in the city.
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