GREATER NOIDA: A day after a 27-year-old man died when his car plunged into a drain near Sector 150 in Greater Noida, his family alleged gross administrative negligence, claiming timely intervention could have saved him as he struggled for nearly two hours.
The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Knowledge Park police station on the night of January 16–17.The victim’s father, Rajkumar Mehta, said his son struggled in the water for nearly two hours. “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,” he alleged, demanding strict action and improved safety arrangements to prevent such incidents in the future.
Satish Pal additional chief executive officer of the Noida Authority, said an investigation is underway to determine responsibility. “The investigation will reveal whose land it was, to whom it was allotted, and who was responsible for its maintenance. That road is in an area that is not yet a fully developed sector,” he said, assuring action after the inquiry. Meanwhile, according to the police, the accident took place when the car broke through the boundary of a drain at the Sector 150 intersection and fell into the water. The deceased has been identified as Yuvraj, a resident of Sector-150, Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar. His body was recovered following a search operation by SDRF/NDRF teams and has been sent for post-mortem examination. Joint commissioner of police Rajeev Narain Mishra termed the incident “very tragic” and said the police stand with the victim’s family. He added that rescue operations were launched immediately using fire brigade ladders, cranes, searchlights and a makeshift boat, but visibility was near zero at the time.
