A 27-year-old software engineer drowned in a flooded construction pit in Noida on Friday night after emergency responders allegedly refused to enter the water to save him, despite his desperate cries for help that lasted nearly 90 minutes. The tragedy has sparked national outrage and raised serious questions about civic safety and emergency response capabilities in India’s rapidly developing urban areas.
Yuvraj Mehta was driving home through Noida’s Sector 150 on the night of January 17 when dense fog caused him to strike a low boundary wall, sending his car plunging into a waterlogged excavation pit over 30 feet deep. He managed to escape the sinking vehicle and stood on its roof, using his phone’s flashlight to signal for help while calling out desperately. Despite his prolonged struggle to stay afloat, he eventually drowned before rescue could reach him.
The response from emergency personnel has come under fierce criticism. Eyewitness Moninder Kumar, a delivery executive who was at the scene, alleged that police and State Disaster Response Force personnel gave multiple excuses for not entering the water.
According to Kumar, rescuers claimed the water was too cold, that there were dangerous steel rods inside the pit, and that some didn’t know how to swim. Frustrated by the inaction and inadequate rescue equipment that couldn’t reach across the 50-foot deep pit, Kumar himself tied a rope around his waist and jumped in, searching for nearly 40 minutes, but it was too late to save Mehta.This wasn’t the first incident at this location. Just two weeks earlier, a truck driver had fallen into the same pit at the same spot, and Kumar had rescued him while police stood by. Residents had repeatedly complained about the hazardous site, which lacked basic safety measures including barricades, reflectors, warning signs, or lighting. A 2022 warning from the UP irrigation department about water accumulation at the site had been ignored by authorities.
The tragedy has prompted swift administrative action. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a Special Investigation Team probe with a five-day deadline for a report. Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M was removed from his position, and police arrested Abhay Kumar, director of one of the real estate firms involved in the construction. An FIR was filed against two developers for culpable homicide and negligence. The incident has exposed systemic failures in urban safety oversight and triggered protests from residents demanding accountability and reform.