Noida, Jan 19 (NationPress) The CEO of Noida Authority, Lokesh M., has been dismissed from his role and placed on the waiting list following the tragic incident involving a 27-year-old software engineer who plunged into a water-filled ditch in Sector 150.

In response to this incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an extensive investigation.

In alignment with the Chief Minister's directives, the state has established a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) tasked with investigating the events surrounding the death of Yuvraj Mehta.

This SIT will operate under the oversight of the Additional Director General of Police (ADG) for the Meerut Zone, and will include the Divisional Commissioner of Meerut as well as the Chief Engineer from the Public Works Department (PWD).

The team has been instructed to finalize the investigation and present its findings to the Chief Minister within a span of five days.

Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Mehta succumbed to asphyxiation, with heart failure cited as a contributing factor. Officials from the police noted that these findings imply cardiac arrest was the ultimate cause of his death.

Initial reports suggest the incident transpired late on Saturday night during extreme cold weather. Mehta's vehicle reportedly veered into a water-filled ditch in Sector 150, where the water temperature was dangerously low. He was trapped inside the vehicle for an extended duration.

Reportedly, Mehta managed to ascend onto the roof of his partially submerged car and awaited rescue for close to two hours. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated due to prolonged exposure to frigid temperatures, icy water, mental stress, and panic.

Authorities suspect that the delay in rescue efforts, combined with hypothermia and anxiety, led to his panic, culminating in cardiac arrest. The autopsy report highlighted both suffocation and heart failure as causes of death.

This incident has sparked significant public outrage. On Sunday, numerous local residents congregated at the accident site throughout the day, questioning the actions of the authorities and citing severe shortcomings in emergency response.

Residents asserted that despite Mehta's urgent calls for assistance, there was no timely or effective rescue operation initiated. Although officials from various sectors arrived at the scene, locals claimed their response was largely “formal and superficial”.

The unfortunate event has also put the Noida Authority's alleged negligence under the microscope. Residents of Sector 150 reported that they had consistently alerted the authority regarding safety issues in the area prior to the tragedy.

Locals mentioned that multiple formal complaints had been submitted requesting the installation of speed breakers and reflectors, covering of open drains, drainage of waterlogged areas near the accident site, and enhancements to street lighting and sanitation. Complaints were also lodged on the IGRS portal, alongside letters sent to several departments.

However, residents claimed that Work Circle-10 transferred responsibility to the Noida Authority’s Traffic Cell, leading to inaction. Even correspondence from Dadri MLA Tejpal Nagar and Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, urging immediate safety protocols, reportedly went unanswered.