Techie's death: Noida Authority CEO removed, UP govt orders SIT probe

IAS officer Lokesh M has been removed as chief executive officer of the Noida Authority and placed on a “waitlist” following a controversy over the death of a young software engineer in a road accident in Noida, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement on Monday. 

 

Taking cognisance of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe to examine the circumstances that led to the fatal crash.

SIT probe ordered

On the chief minister’s directions, a three-member SIT has been constituted to investigate the accident in Sector 150, where a car plunged into a water-filled pit at an under-construction site two days ago.

 

 

The probe panel will be headed by the additional director general of police (ADG) of the Meerut Zone, with the Meerut divisional commissioner and the chief engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) as members, a PTI report said.

 

“The team has been asked to conduct a detailed investigation and submit its report to the chief minister within five days,” the CMO said.

Lokesh M sacks junior engineer 

Earlier in the day, Lokesh M, acting as the chief of the Noida Authority, initiated action against officials.

 

In an official statement issued on Sunday night, the authority said it had terminated the services of junior engineer Naveen Kumar of the Noida Traffic Cell and issued showcause notices to other officers responsible for traffic-related works in the area. 

 

The authority also sought detailed reports on the allotment and construction activities of the developer, Lotus, and ordered a review of safety arrangements at the site. It warned that negligence of safety norms at construction sites would not be tolerated and directed departments to re-inspect safety measures at all ongoing projects to prevent similar incidents. 

Details of the accident 

The victim, Yuvraj Mehta, a 27-year-old software engineer, died after his car fell into a water-filled pit at a construction site while he was returning home in the early hours of Saturday. The accident occurred amid dense fog in Noida’s Sector 150.

 

Mehta’s father, Raj Kumar Mehta, alleged lapses by local authorities and demanded accountability so that “no one else loses their son like this” in the future.

 

Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Rajeev Narayan Mishra said authorities made all possible efforts to save Mehta.

 

“It’s a sad incident. We are with the grieving family. We tried every possible way and put in all efforts to save his life. SDRF was also on site, but visibility was zero,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

 

“Based on the family’s complaint, an FIR has been registered, and action will be taken against those found guilty,” Mishra added.

 

Police said Mehta, who worked for a Gurugram-based company, was returning home from work when the accident occurred. His body was recovered after a search operation involving teams from the fire department, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police.

 

An eyewitness, a delivery agent, told PTI that rescue efforts were delayed and claimed the victim might have survived had action been taken sooner. Residents also staged protests, alleging inadequate barricading and the absence of reflectors at the accident-prone site. 

 

Police have lodged an FIR against two real estate developers on the family’s complaint, while denying negligence in the rescue operation.